


Seasons

by secretinternetbox



Series: Seasons [1]
Category: DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Babysitting, Fluff, Kidnapping, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-11-01 09:50:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 34,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17865065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretinternetbox/pseuds/secretinternetbox
Summary: Nine year old Tim Drake did not want a babysitter this summer. All he wanted to do was get a head start on his studies during the day & photograph Batman & Robin at night. He certainly did not want a babysitter in the form of the annoyingly cheerful teenager neighbor, Dick Grayson.[originally published april 2012]





	1. Summer Charge

**Author's Note:**

> uploading a lot of old stories again but without proofing them, sorry

 

Tim’s phone beeped in the middle of class. Tim’s phone _never_ beeped in the middle of class because no one Tim’s age even had a mobile phone. Not that Tim had friends who would want to contact him anyway but that was beside the point. The phone was given to nine year old Tim Drake with strict instructions that it only be used in emergencies. With wide eyes, Tim looked down at his backpack, which was leaning straight up against the desk leg.

Sure enough, the glow of the phone had illuminated the inside of the backpack, casting light on the color coordinated folders and notebooks. Tim quickly glanced up but his teacher hadn’t turned around. Though, the girl in the desk next to Tim had shot him a dirty look. He smiled and shrugged apologetically. She huffed, rolled her eyes, and turned her attention back to the front of the classroom.

The suspense was gnawing away at Tim’s mind but he had to wait until lunch time to sneak away into a bathroom stall and examine his phone. He didn’t know what he was expecting but a message from his mother certainly was not it.

Janet Drake took her son’s education quite seriously so she would not have interrupted unless it was an emergency of sorts.

_Timothy - Leaving for Argentina. Be back end of August. Possibly sooner. Fired the housekeeper. You’ll be looked after by Wayne’s ward for the summer. More information in a letter at the house. Richard Grayson will began today and is picking you up after your classes end. I expect you to fax us a copy of your final grade reports. Mother_

Tim grimaced at the text on the screen. His mother wrote text messages as though she was sending a telegram. Wait…he quickly scanned the message again. Richard Grayson? Dick Grayson? Why was Dick Grayson going to be the one to look after him for the summer?

He did understand why his mother had sent the text though. He expected a note to come through the school with his next class with the same instructions but Tim was a high-profile child and would need proof from his own parents before getting into the car with a stranger.

Still, Dick Grayson was not entirely a stranger. Tim doubted that Dick remembered their first meeting. Barely a toddler, Tim had begged to go to the circus and under pressure from the media from not being suitable parents, Janet and Jack had made an outing of the entire day, even going as far to photograph themselves with the circus talent “The Flying Graysons.” Tim distinctly remembered Dick giving him a hug and promising to do a quadruple somersault just for Tim.

However, the Drakes’ media blurbs were overshadowed by the acrobats’ deaths during the very same show. Dick Grayson had quickly been taken in by Bruce Wayne and as far as Tim could see, had been having a very healthy life. He was always bubbly and excited in news and tabloid stories. Tim hoped that he wasn’t that… _personable_ in real life but he supposed that only time would tell.

In fact, Dick had had such an impact on Tim that he had pursued acrobatics until his mother insisted that it was not a suitable hobby for her son. Tim had tried to stay away from any kind of gossip about Grayson but he couldn’t help it. He had liked Dick when he first met him and still even had the photograph from that day at the circus.

He shook those thoughts out of his head. Dick Grayson was a cool high schooler. Classes had ended for them a week prior and no matter how Dick ended up being roped into spending time at the Drake house, Tim resigned himself to another lonely summer. The only thing he was remotely excited about was his photography.

With the summer starting in just- Tim looked down at his phone again for the time- three days, two hours and twenty-three minutes and his parents leaving the country again, Tim could photograph Batman & Robin all he wanted without worrying about his sleep schedule for school the next morning.

No more groggily hitting his alarm or falling asleep in the shower. Tim was naturally an early riser but with late nights following around the Dynamic Duo, his usual 6AM wake up time was delayed until at least 630AM. It was the worst but worth it for the photographs Tim developed most afternoons.

For the rest of the day, Tim switched between zoning out, bored by his afternoon classes, and wondering if the messages from his mother were an elaborate joke. He yawned, thinking back to the night before, with Batman and Robin and the Joker. Tim never liked when they fought the Joker. That man seemed unhinged. Incredibly unstable, if Tim were to harbor a tentative diagnosis. The class bell snapped Tim out of his daze and he automatically straightened from his slouch.

Sure enough, right outside the school grounds and waiting with the other parents who had come to pick up their precious offspring, Dick Grayson was waiting for Tim. Ignoring the swarming students around him, Tim took a moment to appreciate the teenager. He was clearly trying to be incognito by wearing a simple hoodie with sunglasses resting on the top of his head. Tim rolled his eyes at the group of giggling schoolmates as he passed them on the way out. As if the Wayne heir could go unnoticed at his middle school alma mater.

“Tim, right?” Dick had a large smile for him and Tim tried stumbled at the attentive face. He ignored direct eye contact, instead, kneeling down to focus on his untied shoe lace.

He sighed and stood up once his task had been completed, “Richard Grayson, correct?”

Grayson blinked, most likely a surprise due to his formal tone, Tim presumed. He received that look quite often. “Just Dick is fine.” The smile was back again as well as an extended hand.

Hesitantly, Tim accepted the handshake. He could do handshakes. Handshakes were business and he had dealt with them before when meeting colleagues of his parents.

“I just got my license so I brought one of Bruce’s cars today. You know my guardian, Bruce, right?”

Tim murmured an affirmative response. Dick apparently took that as a sign to keep talking.

“I wasn’t sure how you usually got home after school. Your mom didn’t give me a lot of info about your daily life and-”

“I-” Tim began to interrupt but stopped, realizing that Dick had still been speaking.

“Yea?” Dick leaned against the car, eyeing Tim’s surely nervous stance.

“No, I’m sorry. I interrupted you. Please continue,” Tim gestured. He was sure that his cheeks were pink. Where had his manners gone in two short minutes?

“I was just going to say that we have a lot to learn about each other,” Dick smiled. It looked sincere but Tim switched his attention to the car. Perhaps the teenager was going to make the best of his summer. Get on Tim’s good side so he could leave to hang out with people his own age. Tim could support that idea. It would be beneficial for the both of them.

“I usually walk home. Just because the weather has been so nice,” He looked up and saw that Dick was now looking at the car with disdain, “But this is fine! I don’t mind!” Tim assured him.

“Well, I’ll remember that for tomorrow,” Dick flashed Tim the grin that covered most newspapers after a Wayne charity function. He made a move to open the passenger side door but Tim beat him to it.

“I’ve got it,” Tim said quickly. He froze as Dick’s hand came down on his shoulder. The touch caused him to look up. Dick was so much taller than him. Tim was pretty sure he was never going to get a growth spurt. He didn’t need reminders from his new babysitter. The hand being moved changed his attention again.

“Sure, sure, no problem,” Dick waved him off and walked around to the driver’s side.

The car ride home was mostly silent. Dick didn’t even fiddle with the radio but Tim was watching him. He wanted to changed the station from the public broadcast network but didn’t. Tim wasn’t sure why at first but then realized that Dick was a new driver and probably wanted to prove himself. Which was ridiculous because why would it matter what Tim thought of Dick?

“Your mom said she was going to leave you a note on the dining room table,” Dick informed him. Tim nodded his thanks even though he already knew where the letter would be located. His parents left the same letter for him whenever they left on a trip. Sure enough, a business envelope was resting against the silver centerpiece. It had _Timothy_ written on the front in tight, black letters.

“Do you prefer Timothy?” Dick looked at the letter, slightly apologetic.

“Tim is fine.” The response was nonchalant. Tim was more interested by the letter, which had been left open. One paper cut by opening a sealed letter and his mother never let him forget it.

_Timothy._

_Bruce Wayne called and asked our plans for the summer season. After polite chatter, he inquired about your care and insisted that his ward needed to learn some responsibility. I do not expect it to last long as you are perfectly capable. However, I have grown tired of your previous housekeeper and thought that perhaps Grayson will be inspired by your own intellectual pursuits rather than those of his guardian._

_As previously mentioned, you are perfectly capable of caring for yourself. Feel free to fire him at your leisure but I thought this would be a suitable summer project for you as well as a step for the Drake company in partnering with Wayne.. That being said, I left additionally summer studies for you in my library._

_Mother._

So, Dick had been forced into this by Bruce Wayne because he needed responsibility. Tim had to give him credit, Dick did not appear to be a sullen teenager against his will. He seemed to be, by all accounts, a pleasant person to be around.

In fact, while Tim set out his homework, Dick did the same with a smile on his face. He bashfully informed Tim that he had some summer school work to do. _Just math though_ , he had insisted, _I’m good to go on most everything else_ _but math isn’t up to Bruce’s standards._

Homework was done for a near two hours in complete silence. Tim was grateful for the silence. He did not find any annoying habits that he originally thought would apply to someone who had appeared as animated as Dick. Not even the chewing of a pen or foot tapping. Dick Grayson knew how to be quiet when it was necessary and Tim was thankful.

Once it reached 5:30, Tim finally spoke up. “What exactly are you…How long do you…” Tim trailed off. Unsure of what he was asking. He wasn’t sure if there was a polite way to asked someone seven years his senior to leave his house.

“Your mom said there was a night guard so I figured I’d stay every night until they came.” Dick shrugged. “I brought you dinner too, if that’s okay. Again, I’m not sure what you like but your mom was pretty insistent about being healthy so I had Alfred whip up some grub.” Dick gestured to the table in the kitchen. Tim hadn’t noticed that food had been set out.

“Alfred?”

“Yea, Alfred Pennyworth. He works for Bruce.”

“Ah, I see.” Dinner was eaten in silence but this time, with nothing else to concentrate on but his meal, Dick seemed a little restless. 

“Please, tell Mr. Pennyworth that this is delicious. I enjoyed it very much,” Tim said in a quiet tone. He wasn’t lying. He had enjoyed the salad and the salmon. Both were exquisite. He could get used to eating like this all summer.

The compliments to Alfred clearly made Dick happy. His huge smile had returned. “I’ll definitely let him know. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear that.” Tim helped him carry dishes over to the sink and in silence, companionable this time, Tim thought, as they washed the dishes and tupperware containers.

Dicks’ loud ringtone nearly caused Tim to drop a dish. Before answering the phone, Dick took the large plate from where it was pressed against Tim’s chest in surprise.

“It’s just my phone, sorry about that. It’s probably Bruce, wondering where I am.”

Tim nodded and Dick took that as a sign to answer his phone.

“Bruce? Hey….Yea…Okay…I’ll be home soon, I’m just waiting for the night guard for the Drake house….”

Weird, Dick is nearly seventeen. It was only a little bit before seven o’clock. That doesn’t seem like too late for a teenager to be out. Maybe Bruce Wayne is more strict than Tim thought.

“Well, you can go out without me….I can meet you there. Now that I have a license and all…Okay, sounds good, bye.” Tim couldn’t help but reveal a small grin at Dick’s happiness for passing a driving test.

“Do you twos have a Wayne Foundation event tonight?” Tim asked, setting a clean dish back in the cabinet. He hadn’t remember reading about one in the papers.

Dick looked at Tim curiously. “Uh, no. We are just, hanging out together tonight. Bruce wanted to take me out for ending the school year and he…uh…wasn’t able to last week.”

“Oh, that’s nice of him,” Tim mused. He sat back in front of his homework, pleasantly full after the dinner and opened up his mathematics notebook. “Where are you going?”

Dick gave him that look again, a mixture between curiousness and…perhaps uncertainty. Tim down his gaze down to his book. He thought he was being polite by inquiring about Dick and Bruce. Maybe he was wrong in that assumption.

The intercom buzzed three times. Dick looked at Tim and made a move towards the front hall.

“It’s just the night guard, Robert,” Tim stopped him. “He’s just letting me know that he has arrived.”

“He doesn’t come inside?”

“Why would he? We have a guard house on the ground. He stays there,” Now it was Tim’s turn to be confused and not for the first time since he met Dick Grayson that afternoon.

“That’s my cue then. I better meet up with Bruce You sure you’ll be okay here, Timothy Jackson Drake?”

“Of course,” Only Tim’s eyes followed Dick through his motions of packing his backpack. Tim was much more focused on how Dick could possibly know his middle name. What an odd piece of information for his mother to give his babysitter.

“Then I will see you tomorrow,” Dick gave Tim that signature smile and reached out to ruffle Tim’s hair. Tim froze under the touch but Dick didn’t seem to notice. “Have a good night, Tim. Call if you need anything.” He shouted over his shoulder.

Well. What an odd day.

—————————————————————————————————

Dick picks Tim up from school for the rest of the week and follows him to a martial arts class.

“Hey, Tim! How was your day?”

“Good afternoon, Dick,” Tim nodded at him, pleased at the absence of a car. “It was fine, thank you. Yourself?”

“You have martial arts lessons today, correct? I mapped it out to make sure but they are only five blocks way.”

“Yes? I mean, yes, I do. Until half past five.” Tim looked up, a mixture of shock and suspicion were sure to be on his features because he realized that his mother had probably informed Wayne and Grayson of his extra curricular activities.

Dick was more energetic today. Perhaps it was because they were both outside but he showed off the acrobatic skills that he had clearly kept up with over the year. At one point, he even did a somersault in the middle of the sidewalk. He did all this while questioning Tim about his life and responding with tidbits about his own.

Tim answered the questions as briefly as he could. Some were regarding his favorite teachers or subjects. He had to think carefully which only garnered some curious looks from Grayson. If Tim was going to answer a question, he was going to take his time and do it properly. No one had ever asked him about favorites before. He liked it. It was rather similar to a game. Although, when Grayson followed up one of Tim’s answers with a “why?” the game got complicated and almost too personal. It made Tim uncomfortable. He was sure that his uneasiness showed as his hands were twitching out of his pockets.

“And why martial arts, Tim?”

“I need to learn how to defend myself.”

“Need to?” Dick’s eyes snapped to Tim’s. Tim wasn’t sure how Dick went from joyous to suspicious and he wasn’t sure why he, Tim Drake, would even raise suspicion.

“Want to.” Tim corrected himself. He did not need anyone interfering with his bullies in the school yard. All students dealt with bullies and Tim was no different. However, due to his smaller stature, his parents had agreed when he outlined a reasonable plan for him to learn self-defense.

Dick seemed to notice Tim’s distaste towards the subject and it wasn’t mentioned for the rest of their day together.

—————————————————————————————————

Tim probably wouldn’t have had to broach the topic of martial arts again if it hadn’t been for the following day. It was the last day of school but when Tim left the school building, Dick was no where to be found. Tim attempted to stand up on his toes to see over the other students but so far, it just looked like delighted students with even more excited parents, both groups anticipating the summer holidays. Tim stalked back to the front steps of the school, debating if he should wait for Dick or just walk home by himself.

Before he even reached the front stairs to the school, someone’s foot was kicked out before him. Tim tripped over the offending limp and sprawled on the ground.

His cheek stung and Tim didn’t have to lift a hand to know that he was most likely bleeding.

“What are you still doing here, freak?” Tim kept his head down, recognizing the voices of three twelve year olds who were two grades above him. “School’s out. You’re not allowed back in until September.”

Tim really didn’t want to get beat up. He supposed no one ever really wished for that but he had wanted to start the summer off on a positive note.

“Is there a problem here, boys?” Tim froze. _Dick. Dick had come_. He rolled over and sure enough, Dick Grayson was chastising his bullies. “You really should respect your fellow school mates. Even if school is out, you should never cause harm to anyone else.”

“He tripped.” One of Tim’s offenders shrugged.

Tim’s eyes grew wide as he saw Dick’s eyes glare daggers at the boy who dared to make an excuse. “I’m not your parents and I’m not certainly not part of the school,” Dick growled. “If I hear that you touched Tim or caused anyone else harm at all, you’ll have to deal with me. Got it?” This was another one of Dick’s transformation that Tim had a hard time soaking in. He had gone from happy to terrifying within seconds. With a jerk of his head, Dick sent the boys running out of the now deserted school yard.

He walked over to Tim and pulled a handkerchief out of his back pocket. He wet it a little with his tongue and Tim cringed at the thought of germs but he stayed obediently still as Dick rubbed some of the dirt and blood of his cheek. “Don’t worry, I’ll let you disinfect it once we get back to your house.” Dick must have read his mind. “I’m sorry that I’m late,” Dick added.

“Its okay,” Tim mumbled. He allowed Dick to grab his hands and pull him off the ground.

“It’s really not,” Dick sighed put the dirty cloth back in his pocket.

“It is,” Tim shrugged and grabbed his backpack off the ground.

Dick groaned, pushing his faces into his faces. “Argh,” He sighed and looked towards Tim, who had a nice bruise forming on his right cheek. “So this is why you wanted to learn how to defend yourself.” He held out his hand, presumably for Tim’s backpack. When Tim didn’t make a move to give it to him, Dick moved closer and took it, shouldering it.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

Tim shrugged. Even though he was out in the open, with Dick’s eyes on him, he felt trapped. He opted for a change of subject, “At least it is the summer now. I won’t have to deal with them. Also, thank you,” This time, Tim knew that his cheeks were bright red. He felt Dick’s hand ruffle his hair again. That was clearly going to become a staple during their time together.

“And you’ve got three months to hang out with me.”

Dick was waiting patiently so Tim conceded and looked up at his babysitter. Dick smiled at him and it seemed so genuine and Tim had to smile back. Not a huge smile but certainly not a small one by any means.

Maybe the summer wouldn’t be so bad after all.

—————————————————————————————————

 

 

 

—————————————————————————-

“It’s your first official day of summer, Tim! I won’t let you stay inside all day doing work.”

“But-”

“How about the circus?”

“No!” Tim yelled before he could stop himself. Dick turned around quickly, shocked at his outburst. Tim had barely spoken above a whisper the past three days. “No. No, thank you. I don’t want to go to the circus.” He didn’t want to relive the nightmares from when he was younger. How did Dick still like the circus?

“Okay, no circus then. But we have to do something.”

“Can’t we just stay inside? I wanted to read.”

“You can read later in the afternoon,” Dick promised. “What are your feelings on the zoo?”

“The zoo? With the animals?”

“Have you…have you never been to the zoo before?”

“I think it is a school trip next year…” Tim mused.

“But your parents never took you when you were younger?”

_No_ , Tim thought uncomfortably, _they took me to the circus and it was a disaster and we never went anywhere as a family ever again_.

Instead, aloud, “I think my mother might have thought it to be unhygienic.”

“Well, how do you feel about it?” Dick asked carefully. He already knew Tim’s dislike towards germs and his love of antibacterial.

“I would like…I would like to see some otters. They have them there, correct?” Tim had always been fascinated by otters. He wouldn’t voice it but he even thought they were cute in addition to being remarkably agile in water.

“Gotham Zoo definitely has some otters. Along with a billion other animals.”

Tim huffed, “I doubt there are a billion.”

“You know what I meant, come on.”

And that is how Tim spent the first day of his summer vacation at the zoo with Dick Grayson.

For the second time in less than a week, Tim’s phone was ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and just stared at it. Dick scooted over on the bench and looked over his shoulder.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?”

“Oh. Yes, of course. Hello?…This is Timothy…Oh…I see…No, that will be acceptable. Thank you for informing me…”

“What was that about?”

“That was my family’s security company. Our usual night guard, Robert, is ill and they’ve informed me that they are stretched thin. A replacement night guard won’t be able to arrive at the house until well past their normal time.”

“What time do they plan on being there?”

“They said midnight.”

“Perfect and I forgot dinner so we can go eat at at casa de la Wayne,” Dick said in an exaggerated Spanish accent and waggled his eyebrows at Tim.

“What?”

“Well, I planned on taking you home to the manor for dinner anyway. I didn’t think you’d really want to eat fast food at the zoo.”

Tim wasn’t entirely sure how the two situations were connected but he was secretly pleased that Dick was aware and actively taking steps to ensure Tim’s comforts regarding health and cleanliness.

“If you insist…” Tim said slowly. “But if it’s all right with you, I’d like to change first. And shower. I smell like animals.”

“But you had a good time, right?” Dick’s hopeful gaze searched Tim’s face.

“I…I had a very nice day, thank you.” Tim placed his hands in his lap and fiddled with his phone, “I enjoyed the otters very much.”

————————————————————————————————

“Hello there, Master Timothy. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Master Richard has told me much about you.” Tim was standing slightly behind Dick. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous but Mr. Pennyworth, _Alfred_ , seemed extremely cordial.

“But he’s only known me for three days,” Tim blurted before he could stop himself. He shook Alfred’s outstretched hand.

“Our Dick is very observant.” Alfred confirmed what Tim had seen earlier at the zoo. Dick didn’t seem the type to be vigilant but Tim supposed it was his own fault for judging a book by its cover. “Come now, Master Bruce is awaiting us in the dining room.”

The mentioned dining room was large, moreso than Tim had imagined it. It had an expansive table that Tim only though existed in films. Sure, the Drake mansion had its share of overpriced and absurd objects but the elongated table, with Bruce Wayne at the head made for a surreal and chilling scene.

“So this is the young Drake?” Bruce’s voice managed to be quiet and loud at the same time. Unintrusive and yet it still managed to fill the room.

Tim followed Dick to his seat and answered in a polite and attentive tone, “Yes, Timothy, sir.”

“Well, Timothy, I’m Bruce Wayne.”

Cold, unpleasant eyes. Not at all like the fool that the news talked about. Tim found himself wanting to run far away from the manor. The conversation seemed more like a chess match than anything else.

“Dick tells me that you’re a good student.”

“I try.”

“Is that all? He says you also do martial arts.”

“Some, yes.”

“Is that normal for a child your age? Perhaps introductory karate would be better suited for your level.”

“Bruce!” Tim looked up from his plate and saw Dick glaring at Bruce.

“I did the introductory lessons for most forms of self-defense before I found one that suited me.”

“Self-defense?”

Tim did some quick thinking. He didn’t want to discuss bullies with Bruce Wayne. The man clearly already thought he was incompetent. How was carefree Dick able to survive in a house like this? Thinking of Dick, Tim also didn’t like the idea of Dick remembering that Tim had needed protection. “Sure, I mean, a lot of kids my age take those classes for extra-curricular activities. We all want to be like Batman,” Tim attempted to joke.

“So you don’t have a problem with Batman? Batman seems like a menace to Gotham’s society. Thought, I suppose for a child of your age, it would hold some interest.”

“No? Why would I have a problem with Batman? Gotham needs someone to look after her,” Tim mumbled. The food prepared by Mr. Pennyworth was delicious but he had lost his appetite over the odd conversation with Mr. Wayne.

————————————————————————————————

“Can I go home?” Tim pleaded with Dick who gave him a strange look. Alfred wouldn’t let him help with the dishes and Bruce hadn’t spoken another word through the rest of the meal. Dick had dragged him to the library afterwards and let him explore. Tim’s excitement over the books wasn’t as strong as it would have been under normal circumstances. He couldn’t stop thinking about the strange dinner. As a result, Dick tried a different plan and took Tim back to the kitchen, where Bruce was watching Alfred scoop ice cream.

“Can I go home after this?” Tim asked again, politely as possible, but Dick who gave him a strange look.

“Of course not, Timmy, I won’t be able to sleep with thinking about you all alone in that big house.”

“What do you mean?”

“Without the night guard! Are you feeling okay?” Dick pushed back Tim’s hair and felt his forehead.

“That’s…that’s what this is about? Because the…night…guard…” Tim looked at Dick like he was certifiably insane, Joker insane.

Tim saw the exact moment that Dick’s thoughts were able to parallel his own. There was a sadness there that Tim had never before saw directed at himself. Dick had thought the night guard was there to protect Tim.

There was an awkward silence in the kitchen as Tim realized he wouldn’t be allowed to go back to his house and the rest of the Wayne family worked out what exactly Dick had been thinking. It was Alfred who spoke up and gave the final say on the matter.

“I shall make up a guest bedroom for you, Master Timothy.”

————————————————————————————————

Tim rolled over in the strange bed. It wasn’t that the room was uncomfortable. In fact, it was very welcoming. It was just that it was Tim’s first night of summer and he had desperately wanted to spend the whole night taking photographs of Batman & Robin. He couldn’t very well sneak out of Wayne Manor unnoticed. He tried to ignore the countless amount of noises that the house seemed to make once the sun set but it still took Tim hours to fall asleep.

“Master Timothy? Awake so early?”

“I am an early riser, Mr. Pennyworth.”

“Please, call me Alfred.”

“I’ll try to remember. Thank you. For letting me stay over, sir.”

“Master Timothy, you’re welcome here anytime.”

“I’m just going to go home now, if that’s all right.”

“I’ll send Master Richard over when he wakes up.”

“He doesn’t need to hurry or anything.”

Alfred just smiled accommodatingly and Tim couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something important.

————————————————————————————————

“Hello there, Kitten. I haven’t seen you around here lately.” The smoothness of the voice did nothing to steel Tim from the initial surprise of it appearing in the first place. He let out a high-pitched squeak and nearly lost grip on the fire escape on which he had been so carefully balanced.

Plucking his camera from his hands and twisting into a flip so she was right in front of his face, Catwoman appeared.

“Um. Hi.” Tim’s mouth wasn’t out of squeaks just yet.

“Don’t worry, I don’t tell Batty that you’re watching him. You might want to be a bit more careful though.” Before Tim could react, Catwoman had grabbed hold of him and he was swaying on a sturdy roof. She gentle pushed him to sit on a vent and handed him his camera.

“How did you- I mean- how long?” Tim mentally berated himself. He thought he had been being careful. He hadn’t run into any of Gotham’s main villains nor had he been seen by Batman & Robin.

“Only for a few weeks. You’re a brave one, aren’t you? I can’t help but be worried about you though, small fry.”

“I’m okay. I haven’t gotten hurt,” Tim mumbled, rotating his camera in his hands, trying not to make eye contact. Catwoman wasn’t going to hurt him, he was sure. She was mostly a thief. An impressive thief. Would it be too much to ask for her photograph?

“Still, Kitten, that won’t mean that you’ll stay that way. You, young Drake, need to be careful.”

Tim’s head snapped up “How did you know my name?”

“Figured it out when I followed you home two weeks ago. I wanted to make sure you got there safely,” Catwoman shrugged. _Even her shrugs looked sophisticated_.

“Why?”

“Why not?”

Tim wasn’t sure how he felt about this. He had gone from being independent to letting Dick and Alfred worry about him and treat him like a child. Now even Catwoman was worried about him. It was just another reminder that he was only nine years old and not the adult with whom his parents so wanted to converse. He was nudged out of his thoughts.

“Don’t think about it too much, Kitten. It’s time for you to call it a night.”

Knowing he didn’t have a choice, Tim sighed. “Yes ma’am.” Catwoman disappeared into the night but Tim knew her direct absence wouldn’t give him license to continue his night out. Sighing and gently placing his camera into his bag, Tim made the long walk back to his house.

————————————————————————————————

The next morning, Tim awoke to a meow and a yelp. He stayed put in bed and looked at the clock. He had gone to sleep at five AM and it was eleven thirty AM. Not bad for the first night time outing of the summer. He still had plenty of time for his studies.

“Tim? Tim? Are you still in bed? Are you feeling all right?” Dick. Of course. That explained the yelp but not the meow.

“I’m awake, Dick. And I feel fine. I’m just getting dressed.” Tim allowed himself to stretch before actually leaving his bed. His own bed, this time. Not the one in Wayne Manor. It was nice to be back in his own quiet room even after only a night of absence.

“Someone left a cardboard box on your stoop, Tim. There is a tiny black kitten inside. Do you want me to take it to the shelter?”

Tim had one foot through the leg of his jeans and Dick’s comment had thrown off his balance. A loud thud sounded as he hit the floor. _Ow._

“Tim? What was that noise?”

“I just…I tripped, Dick. I’m coming.” Tim hurried to right himself and dress properly. He opened the door and sure enough, Dick was there and holding a compact but durable box with the smallest kitten that Tim had ever seen.

“I can just drop him off the shelter and come back, you don’t have to come,” Dick offered.

“No! I mean, no, please. I want to keep it.” Tim fought back a blush. Dick lowered the box so Tim could reach in his hand to pet the soft fur. The kitten meowed softly and bunted Tim’s hand, asking for more pets.

“Would your mom be okay with that? I know you aren’t allergic but still…” Dick trailed off which was fine because Tim wasn’t really listening. He was already planning out what the kitten needed and what sort of toys wouldn’t make much noise but still hold the kitten’s attention.

“Tim. What about your parents?”

“They…they don’t have to know,” Tim shrugged. He knew his parents wouldn’t notice a cat. They weren’t home that often and when they were, he would just keep the kitten in his room. He lifted the kitten out of the box and held him close, smiling when he purred against his chin.

————————————————————————————————

Over the next two months, Tim found multitasking a lot harder to do but then again, maybe he just had more options. He spent most of his days doing the school work that his mother left for him or helping Dick with his own summer studies. When pressed, he would play certain video games with Dick but if left to his own devices, Tim was content to read from the extensive collection at Wayne Manor.

And at night, once Tim was back in his own house, he was able to sneak out and follow Batman & Robin on their adventures. He hadn’t seen Catwoman since the first night of the summer but he knew it was foolish to hope that she hadn’t been watching him. He had had a good track record so far but there were some nights where Dick and Alfred would insist that it was too late for him to go back to his own house and he just had to sleep at the manor. The only bad part about those nights would be no Batwatching. Tim found that he couldn’t resist Dick’s charm and Alfred’s warmth. Bruce Wayne, however, was a completely different story.

It wasn’t as though he was cruel towards Tim. He just was uninterested, which seem to make Dick angry and Alfred exasperated but Tim didn’t mind. He was used to that with his own parents so in a way, it was normal.

The first time he came over without the prompting of Dick, Tim had been terribly nervous even though, just a day prior, Alfred had been so polite and helpful in setting up a temporary area for the kitten within the library. The kitten, who was so mischievous and, as it turned out, a skilled acrobat, that Tim decided to name him, Batman.

Dick laughed so hard when he heard the name that Tim was genuinely worried for his health. When he asked what was so funny, Dick just replied that he hadn’t realize how much kids Tim’s age liked Batman. Tim wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Mainly because he didn’t have friends his age. Or friends at all, for that matter.

He did meet Dick’s friends one day. They had stopped by the manor to hang out with Dick even though Dick insisted that he couldn’t leave Tim. Tim didn’t see the logic in that as he was with Alfred in the kitchen, learning how to make a pie crust. Maybe Dick didn’t want to see his friends and was using Tim as an excuse. It didn’t matter either way.

“Don’t you want to go out and meet Master Richard’s friends?”

“Um, no. No, thank you.”

“I’m sure he wants you to meet them and he’ll find you eventually. Master Richard has always been a determined young man.” As though on cue, Dick poked his head into the kitchen.

“Tim, I want you to meet somebody. Well, two somebodies.” And before Tim could refuse, Dick had disappeared back out into the hallway.

Tim felt childish as he peeked around the kitchen corner. All it took was a somehow polite shove from Alfred and Tim was out in the hallway.

“This is Kory and Roy,” Dick told him, happily. There were two red heads in front of Tim, a girl and a boy, both Dick’s age. The girl seemed nice and smiled at Tim but the boy had a scowl on his face that made Tim uncomfortable.

“Pleasure to meet you both,” Tim said quietly. He had to work on his eye contact.

“So you’re the one who stole Dick from us this summer.” The girl, _Kory,_ teased. Tim could tell she was teasing because of her smile. Roy, however, just managed to strengthen his scowl.

“Ignore him, he’s been in terrible mood all day. Dick’s told us loads about you.”

Tim was able to get away with only a small amount of niceties, ignoring Dick’s hurt look and Alfred’s disapproval face.

“Don’t give me that look, Alfred.” Tim squirmed under the butler’s glare. “I talked to them for a bit.”

“I suppose you did. However, I’m sure Master Richard was only trying to be nice by introducing you to his friends.”

Tim was about to say that Dick didn’t get hired to be nice to Tim. He only was hired to watch Tim and to make sure some nasty fate didn’t befall him. But Alfred’s look stopped him. No one in the house seemed to like when Tim brought up the fact that Dick was, for all intents and purposes, his babysitter. Tim just sighed and continued to knead the dough for his pie crust.

—————————————————————————————————

“Tim, can you hear me? Wake up, Tim. I’ve got to get you back to the manor”

“What?” Tim mumbled.

“Come on. You’ve been asleep all morning.” Tim just rolled over and mumbled something, his thought process not quite connecting to his voice

_Dick? All afternoon? That didn’t sound right. He didn’t even go out to photograph Batman & Robin last night. He had been too tired. Oh…he was tired. Maybe he was getting sick._

“I was getting a worried so-” Dick’s attention was caught by one of the picture frames on Tim’s orderly desk.

Tim groggily sat up, wondering if something had happened to Dick or if he had just imagined him. He took a few seconds to compose himself before focusing on Dick at the desk. Dick came over and sat on the edge of his bed. He had a picture frame cradled in his hands. Not just any picture frame but _the_ picture frame. The one that contained the photograph of Dick and Tim all the years ago.

“This is my family. The date…this was the night that they…and you were there?”

“I’m sorry,” Tim’s apology was barely a whisper. His head was fuzzy and he wasn’t sure what to say but an apology seemed to be in order.

“No, it’s not your fault, Tim.” Dick shook his head. “It’s okay, Tim.” And then after a few seconds, quiet and mostly to himself, Dick murmured, “It’s why you didn’t want to go to the circus.” He took a deep breath and set the photo back in it’s place. “Come on, Tim. Let’s get you to the manor. Alfred will make you some homemade chicken soup and maybe, just maybe, I’ll watch that stupid documentary with you.”

“I like _Planet Earth_ ,” Tim murmured and laid back down in the bed. He didn’t feel like moving. Actually, he wasn’t sure that he’d be able to move but being sick in Wayne Manor couldn’t be that different from being sick anywhere else. “Don’t want to go. Your dad doesn’t like me. Can’t eat soup in the summer”

“He isn’t my dad. You know that already, Tim. And…Bruce doesn’t like anyone at first. He just has a lot of stuff to worry about. You’re sick and I’m not letting you stay here. And I wouldnt’t tell Alfred about that soup comment, if I were you. He takes his soup very seriously.”

The next time Tim woke up, he was in that bedroom at Wayne Manor and Alfred was attempting to spoon feed him soup.

“Ah, finally awake, Master Timothy. I was getting a little worried.”

Before Tim could respond, Bruce had stuck his head through the open doorway. “Any improvement, Alfred?”

“Yes, sir, he is awake and his fever has gone done by a degree.”

“Good. That’s…” Bruce saw that Tim was looking at him with wide eyes. “That’s good. I’ll be in the study.”

“Very good, sir.” Alfred clinked the spoon against the bowl to get Tim’s attention. “Soup, Master Timothy.”

“Did he just ask how I was?”

“Indeed.”

“But why would he ask that?” Tim was in a daze. Bruce hated him. Maybe Tim was really sick. He opened his mouth obligingly when Alfred cleared his throat. Once he had eaten all the soup, Tim snuggled back down into the blankets. The room was nice and cozy. Tim closed his eyes for a moment but when he opened them again, the bed was no longer comfortable. In fact, it was almost lumpy.

Blinking a few times, Tim rolled over and found the answer to the lumps. Dick was there. Dick was in Tim’s bed and had latched onto him while he was sleeping.

“Dick,” Tim knew that he was borderline whining but he was sick so he gave himself a pass.

“Mmmtim…mm sleeping, little brother. No talking…” Dick’s mumbles weren’t entirely clear but Tim’s breath caught when he heard them. _Little brother?_ Tim tried to push it out of his mind. He was ill. He was obviously hallucinating both Bruce and Dick. However, as he fell back to sleep, curled up in Dick’s grasp, Tim felt a warm and fuzzy feeling in his stomach and he was pretty sure it wasn’t just from Alfred’s soup.

————————————————————————

“Tim, we’ve known each other for a while now, right?”

“I guess. If you can call almost three months ‘a while’”

“I can and I will. But we need to get you into a hobby. Your martial arts class doesn’t start up again until September, you’ve finished all the work your mom left for you and you refuse to play video games with me. Don’t give me the story about the library because I don’t want to hear it. We need to find you a hobby.”

“I have a hobby,” Tim blurted out. He clapped his hands over his mouth but it was too late. Dick had a sparkle in his eyes and he motioned for Tim to scoot over on the couch so he could curl up next to him.

“You? Timothy Jackson Drake? Have a hobby just like us mere mortals?”

“Ugh. Shut up, Dick.” Tim knew his face was bright red but he had gotten better at ignoring it. He was comfortable around Dick. Dick brought out a childish side of Tim and he had found, over the past few months, that he didn’t mind.

“Tell me, Tim. Tellmetellmetellme!”

“Okay, okay. But you have to keep it a secret and we have to go to my house,” Tim bit his lip. He had just gotten some pretty impressive shots of the Riddler the night prior. It might be nice to show them to someone.

“Secret and your house, got it.” Dick saluted and led the way out of the manor and down the street. It only took a few minutes for Tim’s brain to race over the possible consequences for showing Dick his photos.

“Dick you have to promise,” Tim looked towards his closet. No, he was looking at the space above his closet. He was suddenly nervous about showing Dick his photographs.

“Sure, Tim, I promise.” Dick swore, more curious than sincere.

“Okay.” Tim closed his eyes, inhaled, exhaled, and then opened them again. Okay,” He repeated. He used the a stepstool to reach to the top of the closet pulled down a box. It looked like every other box in the house that their old housekeeper used to switch their winter clothes with summer ones. Except that this one didn’t have clothes. Emitting a small grunt, Tim heaved the box up onto the bed, next to where Dick was seated.

“This…this is my hobby.” Tim said, shyly. He opened the box to reveal meticulously kept stacks of prints and negatives. All of Batman & Robin and their adversaries. Dick let out a small gasp as he rubbed the edge of the top photograph, which showed Robin and the Riddler. Tim smiled and looked up at Dick but to his disappointment, Dick wasn’t smiling. He almost looked a little sick.

“Have you showed these to anyone else?” Dick spoke slowly and carefully.

“No, of course not,” Tim answered, confused.

“Good, don’t.”

“What?” Tim nearly dropped the stacks of negatives in his hands.

“Tim, these photos are amazing. You could probably submit these to a newspaper or something but they could endanger Batman. You don’t want to be responsible for that, right? And you shouldn’t put yourself in danger either. Promise me that you won’t go out anymore.”

“But-”

“Seriously, Tim. What if your parents found out about this? Or what if you got hurt or captured down by Crime Alley? You’re going to get caught one of these times.”

Tim tilted himself away from Dick, looking down at the photograph that he had gently placed in his lap. It was one of his favorites. Batman was perched on the top of one of the tallest buildings in the city. In the same photograph, Tim was able to capture Robin mid-flip. Tim could almost swear that Batman was glaring at Robin for being so bright and uplifting, and the opposite of the dark and dangerous persona that Batman projected.

Dick was his friend, right? He had even called himself Tim’s brother. Dick only wanted him to be safe. Now that Tim thought about it, a nine year old sneaking out at night was probably a terrible idea. He had never gotten caught but he had experienced some close calls. 

Dick’s hand gently came down on Tim’s shoulder and he spoke softly, “I know that you really like Batman and Robin, Tim. But what would they say? How would Batman respond to someone spying on him like this?”

“But, I wasn’t spying on him!” Tim insisted. He wasn’t spying, was he?

“Weren’t you?” Dick’s face was the picture of innocence but his tone of voice was suggesting something that Tim didn’t want to think about.

“I have to get back to the manor but think about what I said. You’re a great photographer, Tim. You shouldn’t be wasting your time on Batman. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Dick leaned down and kissed the top of Tim’s hair, smoothing it like Tim liked instead of the usual ruffle he did at the end of the day.

As Dick left, somehow, he seemed more upset than Tim.

———————————————————————————————

It had been been a week and Tim tried to forget about that conversation. Dick seemed to forget the event ever occurred. In his mind, Tim had gone over the entire summer, cataloging his own nights compared to his days with Dick. Maybe Dick was right. What _would_ Batman say if someone was taking photos of him? He’d probably be furious.

Tim had occupied himself with attempting to teach his own Batman how to use the outdoor litterbox instead of the one inside. His parents were coming home soon and although Tim would still keep a smaller litterbox in his room, he wanted Batman to know where it was in his backyard.

That night, after dinner when Bruce was explaining a complicated math problem to Dick elsewhere in the manor, Alfred surprised Tim with his own personal room in the household.

“Alfred…”He knew that if he looked up, his watery eyes would be immediately seen. Tim ran his hands over the bedspread. It was a dark blue plaid with simple pillows. Resting in between the two pillows was a small stuffed otter.

“Master Richard wasn’t sure if you would approve of the otter but I insisted. I understand that you are a very intelligent young man of nine years old but that does not mean that you are not allowed to enjoy the simpler things in life.”

“But…why?” Tim’s voice was not wavering. Absolutely not. Alfred knew that he wasn’t questioning the stuffed animal.

“You are a part of our family, Master Timothy. We would not have it any other way.”

“But it’s nearly September and…”

“Well, we’ve had quite a busy summer here at the manor and I wanted to design this room sooner but August is as good a time as any.” Tim isn’t entirely sure what he means by ‘busy summer’ but he also doesn’t know if Alfred gets involved in Bruce’s work affairs. “Surely you don’t intend on leaving us once school is back in session? Who will help me test the scones for full flavor? Who will argue with Master Bruce when he is in one of his debating moods? Who will make sure that Master Richard completes his homework on time?”

Tim blushed. He never had much cause to blush before meeting the Wayne family. They were nothing like the tabloids and newspapers described. He had been an independent child but now he was realizing that he became that way because his life demanded it. He was allowed to act his age if he so pleased and he was part of a family.

That night, Tim slept in his new room at Wayne Manor, clutching at his stuffed otter.

———————————————————————————————

Tim looked at the clock and then at the television. He heard that the news had captured footage of Batman and Robin. He wasn’t sure if it would coincide with his parents’ layover.

The Drakes were scheduled for a very short layover in Gotham and to Tim’s surprise, his mother had insisted on coming to the house for lunch. He was sure that it wasn’t to check on him though. Maybe she had forgotten something. Janet had insisted that Tim not change whatever plans he had but Tim had no plans, Dick was in New York with his friends for the day and Alfred was shampooing the carpets inthe manor.

Tim made sure that Batman, now growing into a graceful adolescent cat, was safely locked in his room. His parents naturally checked up on his studies and asked how the security service was operating. With one eye on the small kitchen television, Tim assured his mother and father that nothing in the house had been stolen.

Then Janet inquired about Dick. Well, that’s putting it too politely. Her exact words were “How is the neighborhood circus performer treating you?”

At first, Tim started to open his mouth in order to defend Dick but then, he was distracted. The news report. Batman & Robin. It’s mostly Robin and…no…

The footage was of Robin doing a quadruple flip. But…Dick does quadruple flips. Tim remembered before Dick had showed off in the martial arts gymnasium.

Tim took a deep breath and tried to go over the math in his head. From when Batman showed up, to when Dick’s parents were murdered to when Robin appeared on the street. Batman’s endless gadgets and money source, Robin’s acrobatic talent for someone who seemed so young.

_“Our Dick is very observant.”_

_“Batman seems like a menace to Gotham’s society.”_

_“Bruce doesn’t like anyone at first. He just has a lot of stuff to worry about…”_

_“How would Batman respond to someone spying on him like this?”_

_“Well, we’ve had quite a busy summer here at the manor…”_

“Timothy? Are you feeling well?”

He was sure that his parents were talking to him but all Tim heard was static. He was going to be sick. Dick’s attentiveness and his kindness and… _little brother_. Yea, Tim was definitely going to be sick. He quickly excused himself from the table and barely made it to the foyer bathroom before he lost his meager lunch in the toilet.

Everything had been a lie. The Waynes had befriended him in order to keep an eye on him. Dick _had_ thought he was spying on Batman so in turn, Dick spied on Tim, befriended him and convinced him to stop taking photographs. _Well, don’t worry anymore, Robin. No more photographs of you_.

A knock came on the door. “Timothy, do not exert yourself if you are getting sick. It wouldn’t do well. We have the Wayne gala in a week. Remember to check and make sure you still fit into your tuxedo. Your father’s secretary will call and remind you.”

And that was it. Tim retched into the toilet again as he got a new view of his life from the floor of his parents’ bathroom. He simultaneously wiped at his mouth and his tears. His parents never bothered with him, they only wanted to use him to gain access to the Wayne family whereas and the only friend he had was a Wayne and that too was a lie.

Tim attempted to remain calm ( _he won’t start crying again, he won’t, he won’t_ ). He typed out a letter and printed it on his mother’s stationary. Then, Tim penned his mother’s signature with perfection and faxed it to Wayne Manor.

_Attn: R. Grayson_

_As of today, your position in our household has been terminated. Thank you for your services over the past three months._

_Janet Drake_

For the rest of the day, Tim ignored all phone calls, knocks at the door and even return faxes. He just sat in his room but it felt cold now ( _so different than the warm living space that Alfred had created for him_ ). He stared at Batman, who was playing with his shoelaces ( _What a terrible name for a cat. Tim got the joke now. Ha. Ha. Very funny Richard Grayson. You have such a sense of humor, Robin_ )

———————————————————————————————

Later that night, Tim was attempting and failing to fall asleep. Batman (he really needed to think of a new name for his cat) must have sensed his mood because the feline curled up right next to him and purred against his chest.

Tim just sighed when someone knocked against his window. He knew it had been coming.

Sure enough, Dick was perched on his windowsill. No, not Dick. Robin. Robin was outside of Tim’s window.

Tim slid out of bed and opened the window. He started speaking right away. He had prepared the speech during the afternoon.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to spy on Batman and Robin. I won’t…I won’t do it anymore and I’m sorry. You can take all the photographs if you want them. I already put them in a box down against the back door.” Tim was done. Finished. He just wanted school to start so he would have something else to focus on.

“Tim, that’s not what I came here for…” Dick’s voice sounded sad but before he could come into the room, something starts beeping. “I need to go, Tim. There’s been a breakout but can I come back and talk to you?”

“No,” Tim said strongly, his voice only cracking a little. “There isn’t anything to talk about. Please just leave me alone.” Tim slammed down the window.

When he woke up the next morning, the box of photographs was gone. Tim spent most of the morning trying not to cry.

———————————————————————————————

For the interim week, Tim tried to think of different ways he could avoid the charity dinner at Wayne Manor but his mother would not hear of it. Janet insisted it was good manors after spending all summer with Richard Grayson.

“Timothy, really. What has gotten into you? You had no complaints about the Waynes for nearly three months and now you wish to break all ties? I don’t see why. I spoke to Bruce Wayne only yesterday and according to him, Grayson’s grades have improved immensely and he sincerely thanks you. Another step towards a partnership with our two companies.”

Bruce? Thanking him? Probably for the photographs. Either way, it’s how Tim found himself in a tuxedo in Wayne Manor. He tried not to look directly towards where he knew his room and stuffed otter were located. He had been able to dodge Bruce, Dick, and Alfred for most of the night. Mostly because they kept getting intercepted by press and needed to attend to the catering, respectively. Tim was able to sneak out to the garden where he was trying his hardest not to have a panic attack.

“What’s the matter, Kitten?” Selina Kyle came out of the shadows, dressed in a long black gown with a dipped neckline. She winked and him and suddenly, even more things became clear for Tim.

“You’re…You’re!” Selina Kyle was Catwoman. Tim had to sit down. Selina led him to the closet bench. It was cold through his thin tuxedo pants but at least he wasn’t about to fall over.

“Shhhh, careful, Kitten, we don’t want people getting all excited over this. And I know that you can keep a secret.”

“Yes, Ms. Kyle.”

“How’s that little scoundrel I dropped off for you?”

“He’s doing really well. He’s very healthy.” Tim informed her. “And, thank you. For him.”

“It looked like you could use a friend.” Selina’s smile bordered on pitying and Tim knew that she had to know what had happened among him, Dick, and Bruce. He wasn’t sure how she found out but it was clear in her eyes.

“Tim? Why are you talking to Selina?” Both Selina and Tim turned to see Dick, looking confused and possibly angry.

“Oh please, Richard. This little Kitten & I go way back. I was just checking on the little charge that I left in his care.”

“ _Selina gave you Batman?”_ Dick asked in incredulous horror.

“You named him Batman? How cute. How…fitting.”

Before Selina could start on a lecture, Tim waved her off. He brought himself to full height, which wasn’t much at all and addressed Dick, “I don’t care to talk to you right now.” He said and Selina moved to stand behind Tim. _Protective mother._

“Tim, I…I don’t know what you want me to say. I don’t know what you want from me. I’m so sorry and I want you to come back to us. We all miss you.” Tim couldn’t remember another time that summer where he had seen Dick so upset.

“I just want you to leave me alone. And then I’ll leave you two alone. I know it’s what you both wanted in the first place.” Tim tried to hold back his tears as he hoisted himself over the garden fence and made a beeline for his house.

———————————————————————————————

It had been a week since the Wayne party. His parents had gotten home that night and his mother had even asked if he was feeling okay. Apparently, Bruce Wayne had _magnanimously_ covered for Tim and said he had gone home because he was ill. 

School had started and Tim had prepared himself for the start of a new year. For his new life. A life where he finally realized that other children had their parents home more often than just a few weeks out of the year. The silence in his home, once comforting, Tim now found depressing and he missed Dick’s noise.

He had spent so much time thinking during the first day of school that he hadn’t even realized that sixth grade bullies had gathered around him. It was a testament to his level of his current depression that Tim had the ability to zone out completely until he was sitting in the nurse’s office with tissues stuffed up his noise and an ice pack against his eye. _Ow_.

The door to the office flew open and a worried Bruce Wayne quickly strode in and over to Tim.

“What are you doing here?” Tim was surprised but he tried to mask it with angry. He was pretty sure that it wasn’t working.

“Are you okay?” Tim resisted the urge to flinch as Bruce gently grabbed his chin and tilted his face.

“I’m fine,” Tim said quietly, moving his face from Bruce’s grip. Bruce let out a loud sigh.

“Tim-”

“What are you doing here?” Tim repeated his question. There was no malice in his voice. He had all but given up.

“Before your parents left, they said the school would not accept a security agency as an emergency contact and asked if I would be willing to act as your legal guardian.” Bruce gestured towards the door out of the nurse’s office and Tim sighed.

“And you said yes…” Tim murmured as he followed Bruce outside to his car, an expensive European brand that Tim didn’t recognize.

“Of course. No child should be alone. Your parents…they’re gone for the next year.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Tim grumbled. His entire face hurt. He didn’t want to deal with Bruce Wayne right now. He slouched down in the passenger seat, ignoring the practical voice in his head about how it would hurt later.

“Tim…Dick and I saw you one night. We spotted you taking photographs of us and we weren’t sure what to think. No parent in their right mind would let their child out but we knew that your mother…”

“What about my mother?” Tim spoke before realizing he was supposed to be a broody nine year old.

“She has interesting ideas for the Drake company. And she isn’t afraid to use unorthodox business movements to succeed. I thought that she was taking advantage of you and a young boy’s fondness for Batman & Robin in order to use our identity as leverage.”

“You thought I knew who you were?”

“Yes. Then Dick insisted that you didn’t know anything.”

“I didn’t. Not until…well, I saw you on the news. Not you, really. But Robin, I mean Dick. He did a quadruple flip. Not a lot of people can do that.”

“A flip gave us away? Fantastic.” Bruce replied dryly. Tim tried to smile but his face hurt too much.

“Tim, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put Dick up to it and we should have chosen another way. I know that you’re not a normal nine year old.”

“Thanks?” Tim replied, confused. Where was this going?

“You’re incredibly intelligent and you figured out our identities. You would have figured it out anyway, I’m sure of it. If you still want to take photographs of us, I won’t stop you.”

“You won’t?”

“No, but I’m going to insist that you learn how to defend yourself. And not in some martial arts studio. Dick and I will teach you. Under a few conditions.”

“Conditions?” Tim thought he was going to get reprimanded again. Now Batman wanted to teach him self-defense in order to take photographs?

“Yep. You need to talk to Dick. You’re allowed to be mad at us. It’s perfectly justified but you’re still part of our family now. We all miss you and Dick has been moping around the manor.” Bruce put his hand on Tim’s knee. “I’m sorry for the way I acted. We just want you to be happy.”

“I…what are the other conditions?” Tim asked quietly. _Not going to cry._ There had been too much crying over the past week.

“Well, I’d like for you to choose a few of your best photographs so Alfred can get them framed. We can hang them in the Batcave.”

“But you have all the photographs…” Tim started before getting distracted by Bruce’s use of the word _Batcave_.

“The box hasn’t been opened yet. We want you to detail them for us. They’re your photographs, Tim.”

“I…I can do that.”

“Good, I’m glad.” Bruce smiled at Tim and tentatively, Tim gave a small smile in return.

“I’ll stop in Wayne Enterprises’ building for a moment to get some paperwork and then we will be on our way.”

Tim exhaled once Bruce’s door shut.. He felt a little bit better. A little. He still didn’t know how to approach Dick or even Alfred. They had reached a possibly stalemate for now and Tim supposed that was all he could ask for. It sort of felt like the beginning of summer again. Tim could deal with uncertainty so long as he intended for it to move forward at some point.

Maybe autumn wouldn’t be so bad after all.

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Tim was about to fall asleep against the upholstery, finally content for the moment. Just as he dozing off, there was an odd noise outside the car. Almost like a scraping and squeaking.

Opening the door ever so slowly, Tim peeked out the crack. There was a boy! A teenager, maybe. Not quite though. He was trying to steal the tires right off of Bruce’s car! Tim couldn’t help but let out a gasp of surprise.

“I wasn’t doing any- hey, wait a minute. Are you okay?”

Tim didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure what to say.

“Shouldn’t you be in school?”

Still, Tim kept silent. _Shouldn’t_ you _be in school?_ He thought privately to himself. Although, the boy had answered his curiosity about how bad his bruises looked.

“Who hurt you? Was it the rich guy who owns this car? Did he beat you up?” The boy’s eyes grew wide and Tim quickly turned around, expecting to see Bruce’s imposing figure. Instead, it was Killer Croc. He was still a half block away but coming in fast.

“Come on! Come with me!” The boy hissed at Tim. He had a look in his eyes, Tim thought it to be a mixture between pity and determination. Tim was grabbed out of the car before he knew what was happening.


	2. Autumn Changes

The boy’s grip was tight around Tim’s hand and neither of them stopped running until they’re seven blocks away. But even then, the rumbles and screams are getting closer with every minute.

“Are you okay?” The boy reached out, seemingly to touch Tim’s bruised nose but then he thinks better of it. He settles for keeping a hold of Tim’s hand and shushing him in order to listen to the destruction.

“What’s happening?” Tim asked softly. He was in a daze. His nose was throbbing and his face was partially numb. He knew he was swaying on his feet but he couldn’t be bothered to steady himself. This boy had control over it, he was positive. Why was Croc out during the day?

“Croc will be here in a minute but you looked like you needed a breather, kid.”

“Tim.”

“What?”

“I’m Tim. Not kid.” Though, the nasally tone of his voice from his injured nose didn’t help his argument.

“Hi, Tim. I’m Jason. Get ready to start running again.”

—————————————————————————-

Right when the commotion started, Bruce left the paperwork on his desk and began to run down the steps, taking them two and three at a time. _Not Tim. Not Tim._

He bursts through the Wayne doors and has to brace himself against a parking meter when he sees the state of his car. It’s nearly flattened. He sprinted over and rounded the passenger side. The sigh of relief he made in knowing that Tim hadn’t been destroyed in the car was quickly overtaken by the fear that he didn’t know Tim’s location.

A daytime attack near someone who was in Bruce’s custody, and therefore Batman’s custody? Not a coincidence. It couldn’t be. Bruce picked up Tim’s backpack. It must have fallen out of the car in the confusion. Bruce allowed himself the thought that Tim would have been pleased that his school books weren’t ruined.

“Alfred. Are the tracking devices in Tim’s shoes still activated?”

“Yes, Master Bruce. Is there a problem?” The worry in Alfred’s voice did nothing to quell Bruce’s racing mind.

“There’s been an attack. Someone large. Bane or Croc. Tim’s gone. I don’t know if he is running or been taken or something else. All that’s left is a totaled car and a backpack.”

“On it, sir.”

Within thirty seconds, Bruce’s phone was blinking with a radar that indicated Timothy was moving quickly and about nine blocks away. Bruce took off like a shot. He used his knowledge of Gotham and avoided public streets where people would wonder why Bruce Wayne was running towards the chaos of whatever had decided to wreck havoc on Gotham.

His second guess had been correct. Killer Croc was causing the mayhem. Bruce filed that in the back of his mind and kept running past Croc. He could deal with Croc later. The first priority was Tim.

As it turned out, Tim was only three blocks ahead of Croc. He was being pulled along by a boy not much older than him. Tim looked as though he was about to pass out but the older boy refused to let go of his hand. Neither of them were going to last much longer at this pace.

Bruce decided to save analyzing both boys for later and crossed over to the next alleyway. He ran up right behind the two and scooped them both up. One in each arm.

“Put us down!! Put us down!”

The boy was scrambling against Bruce’s unrelenting hold. Tim was about to do the same but first, he leaned back to look at the face of their rescuer.

“Bruce!” Tim said with happy relief, eyes not entirely focused on Bruce but it was the only smile Bruce had ever gotten from him so it definitely counted. He was shocked even further when Tim leaned his head against his shoulder, content to let Bruce handle the running. Though, Bruce attributed that to the exhausted. First he gets beaten into a bloody pulp and now he has to run around Gotham? No, Tim Drake was not having a good day.

When the other boy saw that Tim had recognized Bruce, he stopped struggling but was stiff. He looked over Bruce’s shoulder and occasionally gave gruff bits of information about Croc’s location.

Once they were several blocks away and in a different direction than Killer Croc, Bruce allowed himself to sag against an alley wall, panting. He situated himself on the pavement and released both boys. The one looked like he was about to make off but this time, it was Tim’s hand keeping them together.

—————————————————————————-

“Come here, Tim,” The Bruce guy murmured. He went to pull something out of his back pocket and Jason flinched but didn’t move from Tim’s side. It was just a handkerchief. Jason relaxed but only marginally. “Your nose started bleeding again,” Bruce told him quietly. He folded the cloth and gently held it against Tim’s nose. He gave Jason a once over and asked, “Are you hurt at all?”

Jason quickly shook his head, wanting all attention off of him. Luckily, Tim made a disgusted noise and crossed his eyes trying to look at his own nose. Tim took hold of the cloth and Bruce pulled his hand away. Jason saw that the handkerchief had BW stitched in one of the corners. _BW?_ Before he could think about the initials, Tim squeezed his hand and spoke. “This is Jason. He grabbed me out of the car.”

“Well then, Jason,” Bruce gave him a tired smile, “I owe you everything.” Bruce looked so genuinely thankful that Jason couldn’t even bear to look at him. Instead, he looked at Tim who seemed a little embarrassed by what Bruce had said.

“I didn’t save anybody.” Jason held up his hands or tried to since Tim still had claim over one of them.

“Yea, you did. You saved me.” Tim was looking at him as though Jason was the one who had earlier received punches to the head.

“Listen, mister. All I wanted were the tires, okay? Then Croc came, I grabbed the kid and ran for it.”

Bruce seemed to glaze over the fact that Jason wanted his tires. He seemed to be thoughtful for a moment, as though he was making a decision. He waved it off. “Well, you can have those tires now if you want because that car is gone. Come on, come home with us. Have some dinner.”

“Is this crazy guy your dad?” Jason’s incredulous expression was directed at Tim.

“Nah, he’s just a crazy guy.” Tim’s smirk lost none of it’s effect, not even through a bloody nose and bruised face. Jason’s stomach jumped but he ignored it and focused on a more serious matter.

“He hit you?” Jason asked, in a quieter voice, as though Bruce wasn’t even there.

Tim’s eyes widened. “No, no, of course not. The bullies at school did that.”

There was silence for a bit after that. Jason wasn’t sure what to make of these two but Bruce hadn’t left him to die. He hadn’t just grabbed Tim and ran. He didn’t even seem to care that Jason wanted to steal his tires. He just seemed genuinely happy that this Tim kid was safe. Hell, he evened seemed happy that Jason was safe.

_BW. BW. Bruce. BW. Bruce…Bruce Wayne!_

Jason stared at the bloody handkerchief, trying not to show his shock. He didn’t know much about Bruce Wayne but he knew the man was rich. _A nice rich person in Gotham? What’s up with that? And how did Tim end up with him if he wasn’t his dad?_

“Tim, you can go to sleep if you want.” Bruce was still sitting against the alley wall. Tim was half sitting on one of Bruce’s knees and half leaning into Jason.

“Don’t want to.” He murmured

“You had a pretty long day.”

“Jason’s going to leave if I fall asleep.”

Bruce looked at Jason, waiting for a response.

“I…I won’t leave, okay? I’ll come for dinner or something.” Jason mumbled. Who was this Tim kid anyway? To think that he could just strong arm Jason into doing what he wanted.

“Promise?” Tim held out his pinky. Jason didn’t hesitate as much as he would have liked when he reached out and hooked it with his own pinky.

—————————————————————————-

 

 

The second that Tim nodded off on Bruce’s shoulder, Jason debated running. The grip that Tim had had on his hand slackened but Jason wasn’t so sure that Bruce _(Mr. Wayne?)_ wouldn’t follow him. If anything, he certainly had the money and resources to find Jason later when Tim inevitably awoke. Not to mention that Jason was worried what would happen to Tim if he left him with this guy.

The walk back to the crushed car was mostly silent. Bruce had began walking but then had quickly froze, as though he was remembering something and then he held out a hand to Jason. The conversation he attempted to start was stilted and awkward because Jason wasn’t sure what to say to the richest man in Gotham who had just saved his life.

There wasn’t much left of the car, just a heap of metal with a backpack that Bruce gestured to on the sidewalk.

“This is Tim’s?” Jason picked it up with the hand that wasn’t holding onto Bruce. “There’s blood on here!” Jason’s wide eyes were cataloging the stains. He held it close to him, fully aware that Bruce was watching his every move.

“As Tim mentioned, he had a run-in with some bullies at his school.” Bruce said tightly, leading Jason around the car to inspect if anything was salvageable. _Certainly not the tires,_ Jason thought regrettably. He guessed it was sort of a blessing. If his foster mom caught wind that he was stealing again, he’d be beaten into the following week.

“Why wasn’t anyone looking out him?” Jason asked. They had left the car and their course had changed. Jason wasn’t sure where until he wanted to smack his forehead for his stupidity. They were headed right towards Wayne Tower.

“Tim can take care of himself.” Bruce said firmly but then his expression softened. “Usually.” He muttered and shifted Tim in his arms. “I guess it’s my job now.” He said more to himself than Jason.

Jason made a ‘hmph’ noise. “Doesn’t seem that way. Bullies and he was left in the car when Killer Croc was out in broad daylight.”

“Who takes care of you?”

“I take care of me,” Jason said fiercely.

“But you took care of Tim. I told you, I owe you everything for that.” There it was again. A sad and honest smile that Jason didn’t know what to do with. Though, it made Jason feel a bit better because it didn’t seem like Bruce knew what to do either. He was holding onto Tim and Jason’s hand for dear life.

“Listen, mister, I wasn’t taking care of Tim. I was trying to steal the tires off your car and he opened the car door and found me. Then Croc found the both of us. Okay? I wasn’t saving anybody!” Jason wasn’t sure how many times they would have to have this conversation.

“Maybe you weren’t to begin with, but in the end, you saved him.” This time, Bruce sounded sure of himself and the look in his eyes made Jason stop arguing.

Instead, he focused on their surroundings. It was a normal parking garage but instead of going into the driver’s seat of one of the cars, Bruce pressed a small button on the wall. The intercom beeped and Jason clamped down on a squeak as a chauffeur came down the elevator a few minutes later.

“Where to, Master Wayne?” The young man asked politely. Bruce gave Jason a sideways glance as though realizing just now that he had given his identity away to Jason. Jason didn’t react nor did he mention that he had worked it out earlier. It was none of Bruce’s business.

The ride back to someplace called “the manor” was a little more interesting that Jason would have imagined. Bruce still had Tim against his shoulder but Jason had pulled his hand away once they had slid into the backseat of a fancy, black vehicle. Bruce had pointed to a cooler in front of them and Jason opened it to find an assortment of snacks and drinks.

“Why are you being so nice?”

“Other than you saving Tim?”

“He’s safe now, though. I can just go.”

“Go where?”

“Back to my foster home.” Jason wasn’t planning on going to go back to his foster home. The current one was just too crowded. He’d probably bum around the arcade and pick some pockets until he could slip through the window and onto his top bunk without any of his foster siblings noticing.

“I can’t do that.” Bruce shook his head.

“Why the hell not?” Jason said through gritted teeth, ignoring the look Bruce gave him. He didn’t comment on the cursing but Jason knew that he wanted to point out that a twelve year old shouldn’t be using bad language. Well, that was just tough.

“Because Tim would be upset and everyone in the manor is already in the dog house in terms of Tim.”

“So you’re just dragging me here for Tim?”

“You promised Tim that you’d be here when he woke up. How do you think he’d feel if you weren’t here? He’s already had a pretty terrible day. Pretty terrible few months. He doesn’t need anymore disappointment.”

“So I’m just here to make your kid happy? I’m no circus clown.” Jason said through gritted teeth.

“Jason, you were stealing the tires off my car. It’s safe to say that I would have tried to take you home anyway.”

That statement stopped Jason right in his tracks. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I am apparently running a halfway house.” Bruce murmured, again it was more to himself than Jason.

“What’s that mean?” Jason wrinkled his nose.

“Don’t worry about it.” Bruce sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Tim isn’t my son. There’s another boy who lives in the house. His name is Dick. He isn’t my son either.”

“You adopted them?”

“Not exactly but I take care of them,” He amended his statement on the sight of a bruised Tim in the arms, “Well, I take care of them the best I can.”

“I don’t think you’re doing a very good job of it.” Jason said bluntly. He raised his chin up a bit, not about to take back what he said. Not with Tim looking all bruised and being left alone in a car.

“Me neither.”

—————————————————————————-

By the time they were in the hallway of the manor and Jason had checked out his various exits, the silence had grown uncomfortable. Jason had tried to hide his awe of the large mansion but Bruce could tell he was intimidated. He wasn’t sure how to fix that. Maybe Alfred would know. Or Dick. Bruce wistfully hoped Dick would come flying down the stairs to ease the tension. Then he remembered that Dick was still with the Titans.

“I’ll put Tim in his room and then check on dinner.” Bruce said quietly, not wanting to startle Jason. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with the boy and couldn’t think of a nicer word other than ‘feral’ to describe him. He _had_ saved Tim though. To Bruce, that truly showed where Jason’s morals stood. Though, he had been taking tires off of an expensive car in broad daylight. Bruce couldn’t decide if that was stupidity, desperation, arrogance, a combination of the three, or perhaps something more.

For some reason, Killer Croc had been out during the day and Bruce was sure that he or Tim had been a target. Jason wouldn’t be safe if Bruce let him return to his foster care. Not after he had been seen with Tim and then Bruce. Bruce mentally reminded himself to place a call to the foster agency. Of course, he was getting way ahead of himself. That conversation with Alfred had changed his entire viewpoint. All he could think about was that he _had_ to protect these boys.He never again wanted to see them looking terrified and shaken after running for their lives. And it wouldn’t happen again. Not if he had anything to say about it.

“I’ll watch Tim.” Jason was pretty firm about it. Bruce didn’t blame him. He was nearly positive that Jason still thought he was the one who had beaten up Tim. Hell, he might as well have. _Pity reservation, party of Wayne._ Only Alfred could make him feel this guilty even though the butler had been correct in his accusations.

Jason took the stairs two at a time to catch up with Bruce and did a thorough inspection of Tim’s room. Bruce wasn’t sure what Jason expected to find. Tim hadn’t used the room all that often before leaving them. Bruce knew that Alfred and Dick had been hoping that Tim would live there full time. Maybe he would.

“I’ll call when dinner is ready. Or someone will come up and get you both.” Bruce said, making sure to show that he was leaving the door wide open.

—————————————————————————-

Jason just nodded in acknowledgement and walked around Tim’s bed. The blue sheets were soft, softer than he had ever felt. There was also an otter resting on the pillows near Tim’s head. Jason thought about it for a moment and then moved the stuffed otter from the head of the bed and into Tim’s arms. Jason smiled as Tim’s arms curled around the plushie.

He wondered if Tim really liked otters and if he had ever been to the zoo. Would Tim still want to be friends with him when he found out where Jason lived?If Bruce didn’t care, Jason couldn’t see Tim minding all that much. Especially if Jason was really nice to him. He wasn’t saying he would save the kid again. He hoped they weren’t going to be in that situation. But maybe they could go to the zoo together. Jason knew better than to fill his head with hopeful thoughts but that didn’t stop him from settling down in the chair next to Tim’s bed and daydreaming about an impossible future.

“You’re still here.” Tim’s quiet voice jerked Jason out of his fantasies and into the sparsely decorated room. Tim had an actual smile on his face. No one ever smiled when they looked at Jason. At least, not a genuine “happy to see you” smile. Granted, Tim’s grin didn’t last long; he soon winced from the pain.

“Course I’m still here. I promised.” Jason tried to be gruff but he had a feeling that it wasn’t working. “And your nose is still messed up. Stop trying to smile.” By the end of his sentence, Jason knew there was a huge grin on his own face so he really couldn’t say much.

“I’m glad you stayed.” Tim closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Yea, me too.” Jason found that he was telling the truth. Tim reached out to him but didn’t move from his spot.

“Come on the bed.” Tim’s eyes were still shut and he looked so worn out.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.” Tim huffed. Jason got off his chair and gently slid onto the bed so they were only a foot apart with only the stuffed otter in between the two of them.

Tim dozed off every few minutes but he would start and smile when he saw that Jason was still next to him. Then he would start talking and asking Jason questions about random things, like what he thought dinner would be and if Jason liked Batman or Superman better.

During their sporadic conversation, Jason found out that the otter’s name was Thomas and he was very soft. Tim held him out and Jason tentatively rubbed his finger over the otter’s nose.Jason was also told that Tim was “nearly ten,” didn’t usually live at Wayne Manor (he apparently lived down the street), and that his parents had left him with Bruce for a whole year.

“They just left?”

“Uh, yea.” Tim’s cheeks were pink now. Jason couldn’t stop staring and Tim fidgeted in the bed. “They go on trips a lot. For business and stuff.” That was a lame excuse but Jason was pretty sure that Tim knew that so he didn’t point out the obvious. Maybe they had more in common than he thought.

There was a knock at the open doorway and Jason froze, mouth open, fully intending to apologize for being on Tim’s bed. He didn’t get a chance. Instead, Bruce just stood at the door and smiled kindly at them both, informing them that dinner was ready.

Tim slowly rolled over to face the doorway and said quietly. “Thanks, Bruce.”

—————————————————————————-

Bruce watched as Jason helped Tim down the stairs even though Tim was becoming more alert each moment. However, they both froze when the front door handle jiggled as they reached the foyer. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Dick walk through the door. He copied the boys’ frozen statures as he saw that Tim was back in their house.

“Tim…” Dick looked as though he wanted to run towards Tim but the younger boy was cautiously hanging back. It didn’t last long and Dick ran towards Tim, picking him up & hugging him tightly. Tim’s face was pressed against the space between Dick’s neck and shoulder. Bruce could hear his labored breathing, as though he was trying not to cry.

“I missed you,” Dick breathed. Dick wasn’t doing too well on the crying front and tears were clearly filling his eyes.

Tim mumbled into Dick’s neck but it was definitely along the lines of “Imissedyoutoo.”

Bruce’s gaze went from the two of them to Jason who was right where Tim had left him, at the bottom of the stairs. Bruce saw the uncertainty & hurt in his eyes and decided to do something about it.

“Dick, this is Jason.” Bruce said, loudly enough to disrupt their hug. Bruce walked over and placed a firm hand on Jason’s shoulder.

Tim, as though remembering that now Dick _and_ Jason were in the same room, ignored the pain as his lip split again due to a huge smile. “Dick! This is Jason! He saved me!” Tim squirmed, indicating that he wanted to be put down. Dick let him go reluctantly and Tim grabbed Jason’s hand and pulled him over to Dick.

“Jason, this is Dick.”

Dick smiled down at Jason and looked back and forth from him to Tim. And then, without warning, Dick had Jason wrapped up in a tight hug. “Welcome to the family, Jason!” Dick’s joyous laugh rang out in the expansive hallway. Jason tried to wiggle free as Tim had done but when he looked down and saw Tim grinning shyly at both of them, he stopped struggling and gave into the hug.

—————————————————————————-

**_Three Weeks Later_ **

—————————————————————————-

Jason tried to look back on the last few weeks of his life but the whirlwind made his head ache. Secret forts with Tim, scavenger hunts all over Gotham with Dick, going back to pack his things at his foster home, all the while with Bruce’s heavy hand on his shoulder, protecting him from that woman. He never had to go back there. _Never_.

He had been cautious all through the first week, occasionally wondering if Bruce had stolen Dick and Tim away from their real families in order to have them as slaves. When he had confided this to Tim, he was nervous. Instead of laughing at him, like a normal person would have probably done. Tim’s face grew serious and Jason’s heart started racing. Within the hour, Bruce had called a press conference to announce that Jason had saved his legal charge, Tim, from almost certain destruction and as a result, Bruce was formally announcing his plan to adopt Jason and bring awareness to the corrupt foster care system in Gotham.

Bruce smiled sheepishly afterwards and announced that he maybe should have talked it over with Jason beforehand. _No shit, Sherlock._

_“I think this will be good for you, Jason. It’ll be good for Tim. And it’ll be good for our family. We want you to be a part of it.”_

_“Does Tim know that?”_

_“Know what?”_

_“That he’s a part of your family?”_

_“We’re working on that.”_

_“You all…you seem to be nice to him. But something is off.” Jason didn’t bother to try and curb the accusation in his tone._

_“Well, we weren’t for a while. At least, I wasn’t. Dick and Alfred…well, it’s a long story.”_

_“You weren’t nice to him?” Jason asked suspiciously._

_“We’re trying to make it up to him.”_

_“Are you going to be not nice to him again?” Jason asked, this time he was angry. Tim didn’t seem to want to hurt anybody. Why were people being mean to him? Kids at school, Croc, and even the people that he had to live with for the next year. Jason was determined not to be one of those people._

_“We are going to try our best.”_

_“If you hurt him again, I’ll hurt you.”_

_“I don’t doubt that. Not even one bit.”_

Jason had his own room, right next to Tim’s, though more often than not, they found themselves in each other’s rooms. Sometimes even sharing with Dick.

Jason wasn’t sure what had happened between Dick, Bruce, and Tim. He didn’t want to ask just yet but it seemed as though Dick and Bruce walked on eggshells around Tim and tried their best to go out of their way for him. Tim just seemed uncomfortable by the whole arrangement and hid out in Jason’s room more often than not.

—————————————————————————-

“Tim, I’d like to talk to Jason for moment. Just the two of us.”

“Tim can’t stay?”

“It’ll only be for a moment, I promise. Tim can meet us down there.”

“Down where?” Jason asked. Tim squeezed his hand and then let go, giving Jason an encouraging smile as he followed Dick out of the room.

“Jason, there is something you need to know as a member of this family.”

The word family sent a shiver down Jason’s spine. He wasn’t sure how long it’d take for him to get used to that.

Bruce led him to an elevator and all alarms in Jason’s head were going off. Basement? The manor had a basement other than Alfred’s can cellar?

The elevator door opened to reveal an expansive cave outfitted with computers, cars, a dinosaur, an enormous penny, and what looked to be a full blown gym. However, what really caught Jason’s eye was the emblem above the main computer monitor.

_The Bat symbol. Oh god. Bruce Wayne is Batman._

“Why are you telling me this?” Jason asked nervously. He spied Tim and Dick in one of the boxing rings. Tim was carefully balanced on the wires while Dick was fighting an invisible opponent. Tim wasn’t watching Dick though, he was watching Bruce and Jason.

_Dick was Robin._ _Bruce was Batman_.

“Because I don’t want to make a mistake. This relationship- this family- has to be about trust. You need to able to trust us.”

Jason could see that this was _a big deal_. He understood that. He did. He was sort of just too shocked to move. Turned out that he didn’t really need to worry because Tim was soon taking his hand and leading him over to a large table. Bruce sat down at the head and glanced at each of his charges, one by one.

“You boys are in danger.”

“But I didn’t do anything!” Jason sputtered. And he hadn’t! He had been the perfect child since being taken in by the Waynes. Well, almost perfect but they didn’t need to argue about details.

“You saved Tim. And you were seen with me even before I started the procedure to adopt you. It appears that one of the Wayne Enterprises enemies knows that Tim and yourself are under my protection and someone wants to kidnap the Wayne children.”

“Do they realize that none of the children actually have that last name, right?” Dick rolled his eyes and leaned back against his chair.

“Is that why Killer Croc was out during the day?” Tim asked.

“Yes, they thought you would be an easier target.” Bruce frowned at the idea.

“So Jason is in trouble because he saved me?” Tim’s voice was quiet and unassuming but his head was bowed.

_Oh shit._ Jason looked at Tim’s guilt-ridden eyes and then quickly to Bruce who seemed to realize his mis-step.

“No, Tim. Jason would have been in trouble anyway because I would have caught him stealing the tires, Dick would have hugged him into submission, and then he would have been the new target.” Bruce assured him and Dick snorted.

“How did they find out about me? About how you’re my guardian for the next year?” Tim asked. “No one had known that before that day. I didn’t even know.”

Jason twitched at that. He wanted Tim to stay in the Wayne house forever. _His house_ , he corrected himself. Tim always got a depressed look on his face and became quiet whenever they walked by his parents’ house. Jason had gone with him to grab some items and the rooms were cold and empty. Tim didn’t belong there. He was getting more comfortable around Bruce and Dick and going back to that place would just ruin him.

Bruce shrugged, “Someone in the legal office. Someone in your school. We don’t know yet. We’re working on it.”

—————————————————————————-

As Jason found out the next day, when Tim never met him outside the front door to their school building, it was definitely someone who worked at their private institution. Jason didn’t have much time to think about it though, as he was soon snatched up and tossed in the same van as Tim.

 

—————————————————————————-

 

 

Tim should have known that he wouldn’t have gotten below a 96 in any science test. It wasn’t anything that made sense and once the new science lab manager asked to see him after class, he should have just started running. But he didn’t. Because an 89 grade bothered Tim more than it should have. As he tried to twist his bound hands to improve circulation, Tim mentally reminded himself to improve on that part of his character.

Tim Drake was not frightened of his current situation. Bruce had informed him that it was possible. Tim was, however, a little chilly. The school hadn’t yet switched to their winter uniforms even though the temperatures were dropping with each passing day and a frost was scheduled for the end of the week. Tim’s jacket was still in his locker and his short sleeve polo & khaki shorts combination wasn’t helping his shivers in the grimy back of a van.

A blast of cold air hit Tim and he realized that the door had opened. He moved forward but wasn’t fast enough. Someone else was pushed into the van before he could get himself to the door. With the collision, both bodies hit the floor as the doors slammed shut.

“Ow.”

“Jason?”

“Tim?”

“Yep.”

“I was coming inside to look for you. Someone grabbed me.” Jason moaned and rolled over, elbowing Tim’s stomach. Tim grunted and moved out of Jason’s way, debating on reaching out to straighten him up. But Jason just sprawled out on the floor in the back of the van.

“Dr. Maner grabbed me.” Tim supplied unhelpfully.

“The new creep who watches the science room?”

“Yep.”

“I never liked that guy. He’s weird.”

“Well…” Tim started slowly, not quite sure how to respond, “I guess your judgements are now justifiable.”

“You’re ten, stop talking like Bruce.” Tim just rolled his eyes even though Jason couldn’t see it through the darkness of their small space. Tim liked having a large vocabulary and he especially enjoyed using it to annoy Jason. “You never came out after class. I was worried.” Jason said in a quieter voice.

“You didn’t call Alfred, first?” Tim frowned. Jason should have called Alfred. Alfred would have told Bruce and then they could have come and gotten him. Now Alfred wouldn’t be aware they were missing for at least another twenty minutes. That was the time it took to walk from the school to the manor.

“No. I was going to look for you.” Jason grumbled. He clumsily pulled himself up off the floor and set his back against the same wall Tim was bracing himself against.

“Oh.” Tim hummed and leaned into Jason. He could feel Jason’s heart racing in his chest. Jason was more frightened than Tim. _Oh. Oooh._ Jason had just started to relax into his life at the manor. This was a certain upset that could possibly take control over his daily life.

Tim hummed again and rested his head on Jason’s shoulder. “We’re going to be okay, Jason. Bruce and Dick are going to come for us.” Tim only felt a little bit of uncertainty as he said it. Dick and Bruce had abandoned him once. There was nothing to say that it wouldn’t happen again. But Tim was hopeful. He knew it was stupid. He knew that it was something else he had to work on. But he also knew that kidnapped children were bad publicity for Bruce Wayne. Tim tried not to think about how maybe he maybe had the wrong idea about why Bruce would rescue both of them.

“…Yea?”

“Yea. They’ll come for us.”

—————————————————————————-

“You didn’t plan this, did you?”

“Of course not!” Tim looked offended and Jason felt a little bit better. He wouldn’t put it past this kid to give himself up so Bruce wouldn’t have to figure out a plan to keep them safe. Ever since he noticed that Tim was missing, the idea had sort of wriggled itself into his brain. But if Tim said no, Jason believed him.

“Just thought I’d check.”

“I wouldn’t…I wouldn’t do that.”

“Okay. I believe you.”

“I don’t think you do.” Tim mumbled but didn’t pull away yet. Jason hoped he wasn’t going to but he wasn’t exactly doing a good job of staying calm. Also, maybe accusing Tim wasn’t the best way to start off their little adventure.

_Recap. We are in a van. Tim is shivering. I am shivering. The van hasn’t moved yet. It’s getting colder. We are both tied at the ankles and wrists. The science teacher took us. Who else knows? We are in a cold, dark van that might actually be getting smaller._

“Jason? Are you okay?”

“Not really.” Jason snapped and immediately regretted it as he felt Tim pull away from his shoulder.

“Oh.”

“I’m kind of freaking out here. Because we’ve been kidnapped and I was supposed to protect you but clearly, I fucked that up just like everything else. Bruce trusted me with you!”

Even though Tim had pulled away, Jason felt him flinch at the swear word. “Jason…Bruce didn’t adopt you so you could protect me. He adopted you so you could be part of his family.” It didn’t escape Jason that Tim hadn’t said _our_ family.

“It’s your family too.”

“I…”

“Yea?”

“I know that they want it to be my family.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“It’s complicated,” Tim sighed and leaned his head back on Jason’s shoulder.

“From when they said they weren’t nice to you?” Jason felt some of the tension bleed out of him as curiosity overtook it. Maybe if he could keep their minds occupied by something else, the situation wouldn’t be so terrifying. _If Jason knew the problem, he could fix it. Maybe Tim could be convinced that he belonged with Jason at Wayne Manor._

Tim sighed. “From when they weren’t nice to me,” he confirmed quietly.

“We’ve got some time,” Jason tried, “Can I know what happened?”

Tim pulled back from Jason, as though he needed to be away from him in order to clear his thoughts.

“I mean, you don’t have to tell me. But if you ever wanted to, I mean, I’d -”

“Jason.” Tim huffed quietly. “Of course, I’ll tell you. You just had to ask. I’m just..trying to think of where I’d like to start.”

“Oh. Okay.”

It was another ten minutes before Tim started talking and Jason was getting antsy even though he had nowhere else to go. He fidgeted with his bonds for about the millionth time before Tim finally spoke up.

“I guess…I guess I can start with the first day I went to the circus when I was little…”

And so Tim went through the whole story. From when he saw Dick’s parents die to stalking Batman to his summer with Dick. He described the brilliance of being accepted into the family and how he never quite understood why Bruce had been so distant around him. He had always just accepted it because his parents were the same way. He thought all parents were the same way. Jason worked hard not to clench fists at certain parts of the story.

“Then, I saw Batman & Robin on the news and it was there. Just. I don’t know. I knew it was Bruce & Dick.” Tim took a few deep breaths and Jason waited. “Everything from the summer sort of started to make sense. How Dick didn’t like me taking martial arts and how Bruce always tried to argue with me.”

_I’m sorry you were used. I’m sorry that you thought no one wanted you. I’m sorry._

“You figured it out because of the news?”

“Well, no,” Jason could practically hear Tim chewing on his lip, “I had known Dick for a while now. And he was always doing flips and showing off.”

“Sounds like Dick.”

“A bit.”

“So you found out.” Jason said quietly.

“I found out.” Tim agreed. “And I sent…I faxed over a letter, with a forged signature of my mother’s, telling Dick that he was fired.”

“He knew it was you?”

“I’m sure he knew that I was close to figuring it out. Or that it wouldn’t have taken much. But it didn’t help that the fax came without word, warning, or explanation. Or that I didn’t answer the phone or the door for the remainder of the day.

That night, Dick came to my window, dressed as Robin. I wouldn’t talk to him though. I made him take away all the photographs that I had ever taken. Then the next time I saw them was at a Wayne charity function the following week. That didn’t go over well either. And Dick found out that Catwoman gave me the kitten which didn’t help anything, I don’t think.”

“I still can’t believe that you called your kitten Batman.”

“I renamed him.” Tim defended himself.

“Yea, I know, okay? James wakes me up as much as he does to you in the mornings. I just didn’t realize that his first name was Batman.”

“Well, it’s not anymore.” Tim said grumpily.

“I like James better.” Jason offered. Tim had stopped talking. That wasn’t what he wanted. “So, the party went sour...”

“And the next time I saw Bruce was another week or so later. The same day that I met you,” Jason could see the barest hint of a smile through the meager light coming through the cracked back window of the van. “Bruce came into the nurse’s office and told me that my parents had set him as my legal guardian for the next year. And well, here we are.”

“Wow.”

“Yep.”

“Am I allowed to punch them?”

Tim’s burst of laughter turned into a cough but he couldn’t help it. “Jason!”

“They were jerks to you! Well, maybe not Alfred but still.”

“They thought I was a threat.”

“That’s no excuse.”

Tim sighed. “I know it’s not.” He scooted closer to Jason and leaned his head back against the older boy’s shoulder. He shivered and Jason tried to move closer. It was getting colder and the van wasn’t providing any sort of insulation. Jason wished he could somehow maneuver his jacket onto Tim. He hoped the weather channel was wrong about that frost.

—————————————————————————-

“Alfred, do you think Tim is any happier here? In the manor?” In hindsight, Bruce should have known that any conversation in the manor never stayed private for long. Especially when Dick Grayson was in residence.

As though he was the one that had been addressed, Dick hoisted himself onto the kitchen counter and bit into an apple. “A bit. I think it’s going to take a while, B. We kind of pulled a number on him.” Alfred handed Dick a napkin before going into the study.

“I understand.” Bruce allowed. On rare days, Tim would smile at Jason and sometimes even Dick and it felt like the summer again. Minus the recent cold spell, of course.

“I think that having Jason around helps.”

“Agreed.” The older boy had done wonders for Jason and vice-versa. Tim had even attempted to defend Jason from bullies at one point. They certainly made a good team and Jason seemed to be settling into his life at the manor with cautious optimism. If Bruce was being honest, it was more than he could have hoped for.

“Excuse me, sirs but I wish to call something to your attention,” Without any further preamble or waiting for permission, Alfred appeared in the kitchen doorway and plowed ahead, “Masters Jason and Timothy have yet to arrive home from their school day.” Alfred held up his hand before either of them could start asking questions. “I have taken the liberty of trying to contact both of their mobile phones. Master Jason, of course, has forgotten his again and it is upstairs. Master Timothy is not answering his phone and they also are not answering the phone at the Drake household. Also, Timothy usually informs me before they go somewhere after school.”

Bruce felt an immediate sense of dread wash over him. Dick was already racing to the cave to turn on the tracking devices implemented in both boys’ shoes.

—————————————————————————-

“If this van goes in another circle, I might vomit on you,” Jason burped once and just laid down on the floor of the van. Sitting upright against the wall was too much of an effort. Tim used his bound hands to stroke Jason’s hair.

The van had seemingly left the school but someone had taken Tim’s intelligence into account and every so often, the vehicle would just do donuts and leave both boys on the floor.

“S’okay, Jason. Not much longer now.”

Jason ignored the fact that there was absolutely no way Tim could know that information. He’d be lying, however, if he wasn’t terrified when the van actually came to a stop a few seconds later. The driver’s door opened and closed, but the door to the trunk stayed shut.

“I don’t think they’re going to move us.”

“No?” Jason still felt dizzy but didn’t try to get up.

“Your Bruce Wayne’s son. I’m Tim Drake. I mean,-” Jason could see that Tim wasn’t trying to be pompous, he was just being logical.

“People know us,” Jason groaned and prepared himself for a night in the trunk.

—————————————————————————-

“Both of the trackers are together and have a path history all over Gotham for the past two hours.”

“So Jason and Tim are still with one another.”

“Looks like it.”

“Reroute the GPS tracker to the BatMobile and let’s move.

“We can’t do that.” Dick called from his spot in front of the computer monitors. One of the screens was playing the afternoon news.

“Why?”

“Because it’s already on the news. Someone called the cops when they saw a child being thrown into a van outside the prep school. Police are reviewing the footage now and I guarantee that it was Tim or Jason. Probably both of them. We can’t be Batman & Robin and Bruce & Dick at the same time.”

“What are you suggesting?” Bruce asked suspiciously. Dick just grinned at him and ran off to the closet of the cave before his guardian could stop him.

—————————————————————————-

“You’re not Robin.” Tim crossed his now freed arms over his chest. It was adorable and not intimidating at all.

“No shit, sherlock. I’m doing this as a favor to your brother.” The scowling teenager in the Robin costume cut Jason’s bonds, and before hauling him up off the van floor. The impostorBatman was tying up the science teacher and attempting to figure out who had hired him. 

“You know this clown?” Jason rubbed at his wrists and made sure that his side was firmly plastered to Tim’s.

“I think…I think that it’s Speedy.” Tim said tentatively.

“Robin’s got himself a smart kid brother.” Speedy smirked and it was very un-Robin-like. Tim blushed and Jason grinned at the sight. Tim needed more people telling him that he was intelligent.

“And you….” Tim looked up and into the eyes of the man donning the Batman cowl. After only a few seconds, Tim’s cheeks became flush and he stammered apologies.

“Tim?” Jason was about to move forward to stand in front of Tim and the fake Batman but Tim stopped him.

“Jason,” Tim whispered, “It’s Superman.”

—————————————————————————-

For all Tim’s strength during the kidnapping, it had completely drained out of him once he had seen Dick. Dick just looked so open and happy and relieved to see both of them that Tim lost it completely. He had run head first into Dick and hadn’t let go. He could feel Jason doing the same next to him on Dick’s other side. It was still so cold but Tim was safe.

—————————————————————————-

“Thank you, Batman. Thank you for bringing back my sons.” Bruce gestured to the masses of people awaiting for the police press conference. No one dared to correct Bruce Wayne and remind him that Timothy Drake wasn’t his.

Dick looked up from where his face had been buried in his brothers’ near frozen hair and caught Roy’s eye. He nodded slightly but he knew Speedy would understand. He’d thank him properly later. While his face was raised, he allowed himself the smallest grin at Clark’s very un-Batmanlike portrayal of Bruce.

“Clark won’t be letting Bruce forget this one for a while.” He whispered to Jason and Tim but got no response in return. They had both been wrapped in blankets but were still freezing and had latched onto Dick as soon as spotting him. It was a surprise but a much welcome one.

—————————————————————————-

“Are they asleep?” Bruce motioned to the boys, still in Dick’s arms even after the press had cleared. Dick had steadied himself against the ambulance and waited for Bruce to finish speaking.

“Maybe. I’m not sure.” Dick said quietly. Tim had still been silently crying up until ten minutes ago. The only way Dick had been able to tell was because the second the hot tears hit his cold skin, they nearly froze.

“Let’s get them home.” Bruce sighed.

—————————————————————————-

There wasn’t a lot of talking on the way back to the manor. Tim’s face was still hidden in Dick’s neck. Jason had been passed to Bruce and was snoring on his shoulder. Alfred led the way upstairs and it was an unspoken decision that both the boys would sleep in Tim’s room rather than be separated.

Bruce leaned back from the bed but Jason still had a hold of his hand. Jason’s eyes, now wide but still sleepy were pleading with him and as he looked to the other side of the bed, Dick was dealing with the same issue. Tim had yet to unwrap his arms from around Dick’s neck.

“Don’t want you to go,” Tim whined. He sounded…well, he sounded his age, if Dick was being honest. “Please.” He whimpered in such a small, broken voice that Dick knew he wasn’t going anywhere tonight and neither was Bruce. Dick climbed into the bed on Tim’s side and Bruce lined himself up next to Jason.

James, still small for a six month old cat, settled himself in the small space between Dick and Tim, right next to Thomas the otter. The purring space heater was a welcome addition to the pile and Dick couldn’t help but think that it was perfect now. Their family was safe.

—————————————————————————-

_Epilogue (A few days later)_

—————————————————————————-

Breakfast was now a family affair in the Wayne household. Everyone attended before school and work and even Alfred sat down to join them. Jason and Tim were throwing raspberries in each others’ oatmeal but looked up when Bruce walked into the room. He had left to answer an early morning telephone call. Too early, if you asked Dick, which, no one did.

Bruce was still working on his bluntness: “Tim, your parents called.”

Tim looked up and Jason held his breath. A raspberry fell out of Tim’s grasp and rolled across the table.

“They are only two months into their project but they already got extended funding for an additional year.” Bruce was saying this so gently. So un-Bruce-like that it made Tim want to start crying again and it felt as though he had only just stopped.

No one ever promised Tim that life would be fair. He knew this was going to happen and he had already come to the realization in the summer that his parents weren’t caring or loving like most other parents. He knew that he would always be left behind. They hadn’t even called about the kidnapping. Had they even known about it? They had just called to say they weren’t coming back. They probably weren’t ever going to come back for him.

“Does that mean you’re going to stay?” Jason’s voice sounded small, unsure. It broke Tim out of his thoughts and he looked up and saw four incredibly worried faces staring back at him.

Then it hit him.

Tim wasn’t left behind here. He had Jason. He had Alfred. And maybe, just maybe, he had Dick and Bruce. Tim looked up and saw Bruce’s expression. It was apologetic and angry at the same time. Tim knew that the anger was directed towards his parents. The intensity of the look made Tim want to tear his eyes away but Bruce made the first move. He strode forward and plucked Tim off the chair and into his arms as though he was a small child.

“You’re staying with us. For as long as you like. Even when they come back. You’re ours. You deserve a good life, Tim. A loving life.”

_I do?_

_I do._

“You can have that with us. I promise.”

He put his head down again and squeezed his arms tightly around Bruce’s neck. A few more sniffles were released but Tim let them out. He was around family. It was okay. He was safe. He could be himself here. A kid and smart. Something his parents had never approved of. Alfred, Bruce, Dick, and Jason were his family. They loved him for who he was.

Tim took a few heaping breaths and finally dug his face out of Bruce’s shoulder. The first thing he saw was the large, open kitchen window. And outside, it was snowing. The frost had finally come.

Maybe the winter wouldn’t be so bad after all.


	3. Winter Chaos

Tim’s feet were pounding against the pavement. They had only been running for a few minutes but it was one thirty in the morning and Tim felt as though he was going to fall over. He heard Jason close behind him.

If Tim had the time, he’d think about that. How Jason was behind him even though Jason was stronger and faster. How Jason always let Tim go ahead of him in order to protect him. But Tim didn’t have time to spare. He was too busy trying to weave through the streets of Gotham without getting caught by the the person who was following them both.

Adrenaline was pumping through Tim’s veins. He was gripping his camera so tightly but he still thought it was going to slip through his mittens. Another street, then another, turn a corner and-

A large shadow landed in front of Tim and he let out a squeak. He stopped right away and Jason ran into his back.

“We agreed no later than one AM, boys.”

Tim let out a sigh of relief. Bruce’s Batman voice was a whole lot less terrifying when the owner tucked Tim into bed most nights.

“But it’s Christmas vacation!” Jason argued. Tim giggled which distracted both of his family members from their argument. Jason grinned at him and Bruce opened one of his utility containers, only to draw out a long, green scarf.

Tim turned so that he and Jason were back to back. It didn’t take long for who he was looking for to drop right down in front of him.

“Crime takes no vacation.” Dick said in a gruff Batman voice that did not go with his Robin persona at all. It set Tim’s giggles off again and he leaned back into Jason.

“Alfred said that Tim left his scarf…but I see that’s not a problem.” Jason grabbed the scarf from Bruce’s hands and wrapped it around his own neck. Tim _had_ forgotten his scarf but Jason had insisted that he wear his red one instead. It was tied tightly around Tim’s neck and didn’t match his mittens at all but Tim didn’t mind.

“All my children are insane.” Bruce muttered.

Tim felt something warm swoop through him at that. The harshness of a Gotham winter was completely lost on him and instead, he was filled with pride and joy. He watched Dick and Bruce fire off lines as one of Jason’s mitten encased hands covered over his own. Their cheeks weren’t just red because of the wind burn.

Yup, Tim was definitely looking forward to Christmas at the manor.

 

————————————————————————

“Dick wanted to do another scavenger hunt so at least something good came out of our colds. No scavenger hunts for at least another week. Ugh.” Jason flopped down on Tim’s bed and picked up Thomas the stuffed otter. “Thomas, no one understands me. I feel terrible and my room is lonely.”

“Well, you’re going to thirteen this spring. He wants to see if you maybe want to be Robin. If you’re up for it, which is ridiculous because of course you are.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yea, you didn’t know that?” Tim’s face scrunched up in confusion. He had been ordered to his bed for nearly three days after their nighttime adventure. His nose was bright red from his cold and his voice sounded nasally. To Jason, he was adorable.

“Who told you that?”

“No one told me that.”

“Bruce doesn’t want me for a partner. He’s got Dick!”

“Yea but Dick is seventeen and spending a lot more time with the Titans.”

“But Dick is Robin.”

“Yes, I know.”

“What about you?”

“I’m tiny.” Tim admitted with a frown.

“I like you pocket-sized.” Jason said but Tim couldn’t understand him, _thank goodness_ , because his face was pushed into Thomas’ fuzzy stomach. Jason’s crush on Tim might be the worst kept secret in the whole manor.

Then again, it went vice-versa as well.

He pulled his head up. “I think I’ll just stay inside then.” Tim gave him a look of curiosity but didn’t say anything. Thankfully, he just changed the subject.

“You still look sick.”

“So do you. You snuck out of bed again, didn’t you? Alfred doesn’t know you’re in here. He is going to catch you. He’s still cross at me for going outside without a scarf.”

“But I gave you mine!”

“But then you didn’t have one.” Tim argued.

“So?”

Tim shook his head and scooted down to bury himself under the covers. He lifted one of the blankets up for Jason who gave him a bright, glazed over smile.

“We’re both sick; he won’t separate us.” That last bit was just wistful thinking on Jason’s part but he snuggled down next to Tim anyways, making sure that Thomas was stuffed between them.

 

————————————————————————

 

“Jason…Jason…wake up!” Tim hissed. His feet were lifted off the ground barely an inch or so as he hoisted himself on the bed to lean over the groggy older boy. Jason mumbled something incoherent and grabbed at Tim, who dodged out of the way.

 

“Sleep. Saturday.” Jason grumbled and hid his head under the pillow. He reached out again to snag Tim, this time catching him under the armpit as he toed too close to the bed. Jason pulled his intruder under the covers and close to him. “Sleep.” He repeated, eyes closed.

 

Tim only marginally relaxed into Jason’s hold and still continued to squirm around. “But- Jason!” Tim whined before going silent. That’s when Jason knew he was in trouble.

 

Jason knew he shouldn’t open his eyes. The second he opened his eyes, there were going to be puppy dog eyes staring at him, complete with a pouting face thanks to an upset Timmy.

 

He was correct.

 

“Ugh!” Jason rolled over and threw his hand over his eyes with all the drama a twelve year old could muster. “What? What’s so important that you need to wake me up this early on a Saturday?” He turned to look at the clock on his nightstand and groaned even louder. “It’s not even four thirty!” He snuck a peek at Tim. “And when you still have a cold.”

 

“I don’t! I’m not sick!” Tim slid further under the covers to hide the tell-tale signs of the cold but it was too late.

 

“Your nose is still bright red.” Jason pointed out.

 

Tim tried to fold his arms over his chest but it was a pretty difficult task since Jason still had a grip on him. After wiggling around a bit, Tim leaned his head on Jason’s shoulder. If the nose hadn’t given away his cold, his labored breathing would have been Jason’s second clue.

 

“Are you awake now?”

 

“Yes, I’m awake. What’s so important?”

 

“Remember how Babs gave me a television link so I could watch the otters whenever I wanted?”

 

“Yes…” Jason did remember that. Dick finally stopped flirting with Babs enough so she could work her magic on Tim’s television and Tim had been ecstatic.

 

“Well, Mr. Freeze is attacking the zoo and I’m worried about the otters.”

 

“Mr. Freeze…”

 

“Yes.” Tim confirmed with a nod.

 

“…is attacking the zoo on a Saturday morning?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Is it just to annoy me?”

 

“Jason. The otters.” And there was the pout again.

 

“Why were you up in the first place? And why didn’t you wake up Bruce? That whole, you know, Batman thing?”

 

“Jason.” Tim bit his lip and completely ignored the first question. Even after all these months, he was still a nervous around Bruce. Not all the time or to the extent that he had been originally, but Tim still wasn’t about to wake up their guardian in the middle of the night over otters. Even though Jason and Tim both thought they were a legitimate cause. Tim had actually paced around in his room for nearly ten minutes, over-thinking about adding Bruce into the scenario before he came to wake up Jason.

 

Jason threw back his covers and gently pushed Tim towards the edge of the bed. “Fine. I’m up. I’m up. Let’s head to Bruce’s room.” He suppressed a chill as his feet hit the cold hardwood floor of his bedroom. The manor didn’t use an excess amount of gas heat, even in the winter. Alfred preferred an abundance of blankets on their beds and fixing roaring fires in whichever room was being used. Tim soon convinced Jason that Alfred’s methods were cozy, rather than stone age.

 

He pulled on socks and offered a pair to Tim, who wrinkled his nose but put them on, fully aware of how frigid the rest of the manor was in the middle of the night.He didn’t need to get any sicker.

 

They hadn’t even gotten halfway down the hallway when Tim let out a high-pitched squeak and stopped dead in his tracks, causing a not-quite-awake-yet Jason to bump into his back.

 

“Bruce!” Tim asked in shock. “You’re awake?” Jason held onto Tim’s shoulders for balance as they both looked up at their guardian. Bruce was dressed in sweats and a plain grey t-shirt, one of the many comfortable clothing items that Alfred kept for him in the cave for after a long night of patrol. He looked as surprised to see the boys as they were to see him even though they had been on their way to his bedroom.

 

“I was actually just going to bed…” Bruce straightened up and suspiciously examined the two boys in front of him. “You know, because of that whole…Batman…thing…” He explained, confused as to why he had to.

 

“Right. Right. Um…Jay!” Tim yelped as Jason poked him directly between the shoulder blades.

 

Jason leaned his head against the spot he had just poked and sleepily ordered: “Tell him.” Tim was pushed forward on account of the weight pressing against his back.

 

Bruce looked back and forth between the two boys. “Tell me what?”

 

“Mr. Freeze is attacking the zoo and the otters are in danger.” Tim mumbled, looking anywhere but Bruce and shifting his weight from one foot to the other..

 

Bruce raised an eyebrow. “Did you have another bad dream?”

 

“Not a dream.” Tim grumbled and pushed back against Jason, still refusing to meet Bruce’s eyes. Jason lifted his head and glared at Bruce from behind Tim’s back. A sleepy, adorable, nonetheless effective glare. Sighing, Bruce realized that his night was probably only just beginning. He knelt down in front of Tim and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.

 

“Tim, are you sure?”

 

“I saw it on my television.” Tim said earnestly, making eye contact with Bruce. His eyes were pleading for Bruce to believe him and even though Bruce’s body was telling him that he needed sleep, he couldn’t ignore the boys.

 

He did, however, ignore the ache in his bones as he got off his knee “All right. Back down to the cave.” He placed his other hand on Jason’s shoulder and steered the boys down two floors and into the elevator for the cave. As Jason wheeled over one of the comfier swivel chairs from Dick’s workspace, Bruce picked Tim up and placed him right next to the computer monitor.

 

“That’s odd. I don’t even have proper visuals on the zoo. You said you saw it on your TV? And why were you watching it so late?”

 

Tim’s face, red from his cold, turned redder with a tired flush. “I couldn’t sleep and Babs gave me special channels on my television so I could watch the zoo and the otters whenever I wanted.”

 

Bruce digested this and decided to push off Tim’s admitted insomnia until he solved the reason the boys came to him for in the first place. “So Babs has different cameras.” He mused and pressed a few keys to access the television in Tim’s bedroom.

 

Sure enough, Babs’ zoo cameras showed chaos and a villain, who indeed looked to be Mr. Freeze. Bruce made a quick decision and pressed a few more keys, alerting certain areas of the manor and setting an alarm. He stretched in front of the console, back cracking as he moved from side to side, well aware that both boys were watching him carefully.

 

“All right. I’m off again then.”

 

“But you’re tired!” Tim blurted out. Bruce smiled at him and ruffled his hair. He was rewarded with a smile instead of a flinch. Tim had almost grown used to it. Jason hadn’t, not really yet. It wasn’t anything personal.

 

“I’ll wake up on the ride there. You boys can stay down here if you want but it’s awfully late and I’ve notified Alfred.” Bruce pointed to the smaller keyboard near the other side of the desk. “I’ll call you and let you know if I need backup, then you can wake up Babs and send her over.”

 

“K.” Tim said in quiet voice, still and afraid to move because Bruce had been going to bed and now he was going to the zoo after a full night of Batman just to save Tim’s otters and other animals.

 

“He wouldn’t go if it wasn’t important. Animals are important too, Timmy. And the people who work at the zoo.” Jason whispered so Bruce couldn’t hear him and then, a little louder, “Good luck.”

 

“Thank you, Jason.” Bruce smiled at him as Jason tugged Tim off the console. The younger boy slid into the chair and snuggled up next to Jason so they could keep an eye on the cameras.

 

—————————————————

 

The first thing Bruce did when he came back into the cave two hours after leaving was change back into his sweatpants. He let loose a sigh of relief as he peeled the cowl off his head.

 

The second thing he did was take a photograph of Tim and Jason. The boys had fallen asleep in the chair facing the console. Tim’s head was on Jason’s shoulder and Jason’s was resting on top of Tim’s. He assumed Alfred must have checked on them at some point because there was a blanket draped over the both of them and neither were tall enough to reach the linen supplies that were kept in the Batcave.

 

“Bedtime, boys. All the animals and people are safe.”

 

Tim blinked a few times and looked up to give Bruce a sleepy smile. He stood up on the chair and reached up both of him arms to wrap them around Bruce’s neck. “Thanks Bruce.” He yawned and instead of letting Tim get away from the hug, Bruce placed an arm under him in a carry. He held his other arm out to Jason who let himself be picked up. It was times like these that Bruce felt incredible warmth at the trust given to him by the children in his care. By no means had it been easy, but it was beyond worth it.

 

“Everyone’s safe?” Tim asked sleepily.

 

“Yes.” Bruce was silent for a moment, watching as Tim examined him with tired eyes and Jason started to fall asleep again. “But how about this? After I most likely sleep through my morning Wayne meeting, we take a trip to the zoo as the concerned adoptive family of the otters.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really. You both just need to get some sleep from now until then.”

 

“K…”

 

Bruce set both the boys on Tim’s bed, the covers still pushed back from where he had left them earlier in the night. The television was still on too, though muted. He switched it off and quietly shut the door.

 

————————————————————————

 

 

Tim whimpered as the curtains to his bedroom were opened, flooding the room with the afternoon sun, reflecting against the bright white of the snow on the grounds of the manor.

 

“You’re the one who woke me up in the middle of night. Now it’s the middle of the day and I have Alfred’s permission to wake you up.” Jason crossed his arms and smirked.

 

“Mpmh.” Tim rolled over and covered his head with his stuffed otter. James meowed at him and batted at his owner’s covered head. Tim’s throat felt like sandpaper and he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking. When he woke up a bit more, he realized that his legs were shaking as well, not because of nerves of restlessness, but because Tim was freezing. There was an Alfred-made fire in his room and Tim looked at it, then back at his trembling hands.

 

“That wasn’t a real word. Come on, Bruce is using his Bruce-ness to gain us access to the zoo while it’s closed for repair from all last night’s damages. Bruce Wayne insists that his kids need to see for themselves that the animals are okay or something.” Jason rolled his eyes but Tim could tell he was secretly impressed by some of the ways that Bruce got things done.

 

Bypassing most of what Jason said, “Why is it so cold?” Tim asked, teeth chattering.

 

Closing the curtains halfway, Jason hopped over and onto the bed, looking closely at Tim. “Want me to tell Bruce to postpone? You look worse. I think your cold is coming back.”

 

“I don’t think it ever left.” Tim mumbled.

 

Alfred looked on disapprovingly as he bundled up the boys in their winter clothing and shooed them into the car. “The faster Master Bruce gets this trip over with, the faster you two can head back into bed.”

 

The zoo wasn’t as destroyed as Tim had expected it to be. The real problems stemmed from the exhibits that weren’t able to be fixed before the previous night’s snow courtesy of Mr. Freeze. A few of the animals had to be herded into their indoor areas but the otters refused to stay out of the water, whether or not it was cold. Tim loved their stubborn streaks; it was his favorite part about the species. Though…Tim knew that he didn’t feel good and maybe he was just seeing things but there were more otters than usual and the new one seemed almost…robotic in its movements.

 

“Jay, look at the otter.” Tim pointed and ignored the fact that his aim was off.

 

“How are you even looking at anything? You’re about to fall over.” Jason had been paying more attention to Tim than the animals during the trip.

 

“Look!” Tim insisted and Jason followed his wobbly finger.

 

His eyes widened. “Oh, wow. I’m sure the zoo keeper is on it. She’s probably just really cold and getting over last night,” Jason tried to convince Tim but he wasn’t even so sure himself. His eyes narrowed at the sight at the wonky otter but they only had another moment before the zoo keeper came out. This was a new zoo employee that Tim didn’t recognize but she was wearing the zoo’s aquatic uniform.

 

Tim walked over, Jason closely trailing behind him, and politely asked,“Excuse me, miss?”

 

“Can I help you, Mr. Wayne?”

 

“Um, Drake, actually.” Tim corrected her, turning his head slightly to see where Bruce was standing but he was discussing something in low voices with Alfred. The keeper didn’t seem chastised by her mistake. “Are the otters okay? One of them doesn’t look good. And I know it’s really cold-“

 

The woman looked at him with sharp eyes causing Tim to stop talking. “I can assure you that all the animals are being taken care of and that we are doing all we can for those in our care.”

 

“But when did the zoo get the new otters?” Tim couldn’t help himself.

 

“Sorry, kid. I’ve got some other enclosures to look after. I hope you and your dad found what you came here for.” Before Tim could refute Bruce being his father, the zookeeper left. In the same moment, Tim sneezed, the power of which sent him right back into Alfred’s legs. He hadn’t even seen Alfred come over to where he and Jason were standing.

 

“Home and bed for you immediately, Master Tim.”

 

Tim pouted and sniffled, but accepted Alfred’s offered handkerchief. “Not fair. I just got rid of my cold.”

 

“Germs don’t play fair, young master,” Alfred told him and shot a sharp look at Jason who was about to roll his eyes and make a smart comment. He quickly snapped his mouth closed. Bruce let out a low laugh, clapped a hand on Jason’s shoulder, and let the way to the car.

 

————————————————————

 

“Hello there, Batman.” Bruce said gruffly. He wasn’t insulted that Tim had changed the cat’s name. Certainly not. James meowed at Bruce, clearly not appreciating the use of his old name. Whether Tim awoke due to the meowing or Bruce was unknown but Bruce preferred to blame James.

 

Tim was piled with blankets and his nightstand was filled with two different types of juice and children’s aspirin. His voice sounded scratchy and his eyes were bleary as he gazed up at his guardian. “Bruce? Where’s Jay?”

 

Of course his first question was about Jason. This was not a surprise at all. “He’s out on a scavenger hunt with Dick.” Bruce didn’t bother to add that Alfred had had to practically force Jason to leave Tim’s side. He drove him to meet Dick, hoping it would distract Jason, not that anyone really believed that would help.

 

“He finally agreed to maybe become Robin?” Tim murmured. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.

 

“How did you know about that?” Bruce raised a single eyebrow at Tim and shook his head. “Nevermind. I should have known. Do you want me to call them to come back?”

 

“No, that’s okay.” Tim curled up in the bed, dragging the comforter and Thomas closer to him. James warily walked around the edge of Tim’s bed, keeping his distance. “I don’t feel good.” He announced to the room, which contained just himself and Bruce.

 

“I know you don’t. Alfred should be back soon but he assures me that your fever is just a side-effect of your cold not getting better. You should be okay in a couple days.”

 

Tim hummed something unintelligible but leaned into Bruce’s cool hand, which rested on his forehead. “Where’s Jason?” Tim asked again, eyes closed and nearly asleep.

 

“He’s out with Dick.”

 

“Can he come home?”

 

“I’ll call him now.”

 

“Thanks…can you stay here, Bruce?”

 

He smiled even though Tim couldn’t see him and brushed unruly hair off of the flushed forehead. “Sure, I can.”

 

 

 

 

————————————————————————

 

Bruce didn’t want to start his day off with a serious conversation but Tim was finally rid of his cold and, as result, coherent. He also felt as though it would be impractical to ask Tim about his insomnia when Jason was around. His middle child was protective of Tim as it was and knowing that he hadn’t been sleeping well wouldn’t help the matter.

 

After much thought, Bruce asked Alfred to send Tim into his study directly after the boy’s breakfast. Tim usually awoke earlier than Jason by about an hour so that gave them plenty of time. Though, when Tim walked through his doorway, Bruce inwardly sighed at the nervous expression of Tim’s face.

 

“Bruce?” He asked in a small, anxious voice.

 

“You’re not in trouble, Tim. Come in and sit down.” Bruce said, as gently as he could. It didn’t seem to settle Tim’s nerves at all but he did attempt to give his guardian a smile. Better than nothing.

 

“Tim, the other night, you told me that you were having trouble sleeping. That you couldn’t sleep.” Bruce corrected himself. He came out from behind his desk and sat in the chair next to Tim’s, making sure his body language was non-threatening. He comfortingly leaned towards Tim with a concerned look on his face. “Is everything okay?”

 

Tim didn’t seem to have been expecting the question and immediately turned his gaze away from Bruce, finding the leather seat’s brass rivets fascinating. Bruce wished he had picked a different spot for the meeting. His study was enormous and it made Tim seem even smaller than his ten years of age.

 

His voice was quiet but not weak. It was almost desperate. As though he knew his response was a thin excuse but felt the need to try anyway. “I had a cold. It’s always hard to sleep with a cold.”

 

“Tim…” Bruce sighed.

 

“It’s almost Christmas.” Tim whispered, tracing the rivets with his finger. He still wasn’t looking at Bruce. “I was just thinking about my parents.”

 

Of course. Bruce nearly sighed in relief. It was natural for a child to miss their parents, especially around the holidays. Even with such an imposing figure as Janet. “That’s why you couldn’t sleep.” He mused.

 

Though, Tim still didn’t meet Bruce’s eyes as he continued his explanation. “I don’t miss them. But…”

 

Bruce was stuck with a startling realization. Tim was ashamed. He had listened to Jason and Dick be furious at his parents and even Alfred had tutted at their habits towards Tim. Bruce himself had scolded them in his own thoughts not seconds prior. Now the ten year old felt as though missing his parents was a bad thing, or at worst case, would get him into trouble at the manor.

 

“It’s okay to miss them, Tim.” Bruce told him earnestly and placed a hand on Tim’s knee.

 

“Is it?” Tim bit his lip and finally looked up. It had taken him a long time to realize that Janet and Jack weren’t the best parents. They weren’t even normal parents as he had previously thought. Parents don’t leave their kids with the next-door neighbor as they travel around the globe for months on end.

 

Surprising even himself, Tim still missed them. Jack’s firm hand on his shoulder whenever Tim brought home his report card. Janet’s proud smirk whenever Tim intelligently spoke with her on subject matters far beyond his grade level.

 

They might have been cold but they were still his parents. And they had left him behind.

 

“Of course.” Bruce did his best to smile warmly at Tim and in return got a tentative smile back before they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Or, more specifically, someone stumbling into the doorway.

 

“Morning.” Jason’s grumpy ‘I just woke up’ face perked up at the sight of Tim. He hand was possessively wrapped around a bowl of oatmeal and he shoved a spoonful in his mouth.

 

Bruce answered “Nothing” right as Tim responded with “My parents.”

 

Jason’s morning scowl immediately returned and he mumbled around a mouthful. “They can go right-“

 

Bruce stopped him before he could finish the sentence. “No language, Jason. Or Santa won’t bring you any presents next week.”

 

Tim didn’t seem affected either way but he was used to Jason being angry about his parents abando- entrusting him to Bruce. It wasn’t that Tim hadn’t been upset about the situation but he had also been happier than he had been in quite a long time so in the end, he was just conflicted.

 

“Psssh.” Jason brought himself up to his full height (which wasn’t very much at all) and declared that: “Santa knows I’ve been loads better than the years before this one. That’s gotta count for something.”

 

“You should really just worry about Alfred’s opinion.” Tim piped up.

 

“Why’s that?” Jason asked and Bruce exhaled, hoping he was off the topic of parents for the time being.

 

“Cause…” Tim looked at both of them, confused. “Santa isn’t real.”

 

Jason paused, waiting for Bruce’s lead. He wasn’t that much older than Tim and had given up on Santa years back but Tim…Tim should want to believe in Santa. Jason was positive that Tim had stopped believing in Santa for different reasons than Jason and a whole lot earlier.

 

Bruce raised a single eyebrow at Tim and set aside his coffee mug. “A man dresses up and fights crime as a bat every night but one man can't deliver presents to kids?"

 

Tim immediately looked unsure which Jason counted as a victory but the youngest still countered with: "Not all in one night.”

 

“With those attitudes, neither of you will be receiving presents under the tree.” Alfred commented from the doorway.

 

Jason elbowed Tim out of his thoughts and held out the remainder of his oatmeal. Tim shook his head and Jason offered, “What if they have regional Santas?" But Tim’s head shook once again.

 

“Then that’s still not Santa. Not as people see him.” Bruce could practically see the gears moving in Tim’s brain as he tried to make sense of the information being given to him. Bruce hoped it would do more good rather than harm and maybe even keep his mind off of the elder Drakes.

 

“He could head up the whole operation.” Alfred mused, taking the oatmeal bowl from Jason.

 

“Jay.” Tim said, confused. “Bruce?” He seemed suspicious of everything but was still playing along, which prompted Bruce’s answer.

 

“If Dick was here, he’d be on my side.” Bruce insisted, half debating phoning his oldest to confirm his fibs.

 

“Where is Dick?” Tim jumped on the new subject.

 

Bruce patted Tim’s knee and pushed himself out of his seat. “With the Titans.”

 

“Again?”

 

“Yep. Jason, why did you come in here in the first place? You know Alfred doesn’t like you carrying your food around the manor.” He gestured to the empty oatmeal bowl.

 

“Well, Alfred said that once Tim felt better, he’d take us into the city so we could shop for Christmas presents. So I wanted to know if today was good for that. After all, Christmas is two days away.” Jason rocked back and forth on his heels, giving a large, hopeful grin to both his guardian and the butler.

 

Alfred leaned down comically close to Tim to examine him, causing welcome giggles. “Very well but I am coming with you. You are still far too pale for my liking.”

 

“But I feel better now!” Tim claimed, bouncing up in his chair a single time.

 

“And what have we learned from this experience, Master Timothy?”

 

“Um. Don’t forget my scarf?” Tim tried hopefully.

 

“Don’t go out at night in winter at all?” Jason rolled his eyes, knowing that Tim would never agree to stay inside at night. Not when he could get more brilliant photographs of Bruce and Dick.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

Trudging through the snow with Alfred was a lot less fun than Jason had originally anticipated. How were they supposed to surprise anyone with Alfred following them in and out of nearly every shop in Gotham? After a stop in a coffee shop (tea for Alfred, hot cocoa for Jason and Tim), Jason finally thought he had convinced Alfred to let them loose on their own for a bit.

 

“Please please pleeeeaaase. I’ll watch Tim. We just need to buy presents and we want everything to be a surprise.” Jason wasn’t below begging, he really wasn’t. It was their first Christmas in the manor. Everything needed to be perfect. Well, as perfect as life with Batman and Robin could be.

 

Alfred smiled warmly at his charges, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Very well. I’ll be here, in this coffee shop for one hour. You have until then to buy your gifts and get back here. Could one of you grab the newspapers out of the car for me?”

 

Jason was off in a flash, snatching out of the car the stack of daily newspapers that Alfred enjoyed reading throughout the day. He messily shoved them on the table between Tim and Alfred before taking his own mug and Tim’s up to the counter for the server. He didn’t even notice that Tim was leaning over one of the newspaper, apparently entranced in the story.

 

It was in a newspaper that Tim didn’t recognize, which wasn’t entirely surprising. He hadn’t kept up on the news since moving into the Wayne manor. At least, not like he used to when he had nothing else to do in his empty house. The article was about the zoo.

 

Alfred slid the newspaper away from Tim. The expression in the elder man’s eyes was unidentifiable which Tim had never experienced before with Alfred. “I wouldn’t worry about it, Master Timothy. It’s only a story.”

 

“What were you looking at?” Jason asked as they left the shop, seeing that Tim was obviously still thinking about it.

 

“The article? It said the zoo might be taken over by a corporate company. Alfred said not to worry though.” Tim added, knowing that Jason took Alfred’s orders as seriously as the rest of the family.

 

“Well, if Alfred says…” Jason mused, slowing down in front of a bookstore. The conversation was forgotten as Tim soon began the hunt to search for a book of exotic teas for Alfred.

 

For the most part, Jason followed Tim through the store, only stopping when he saw a book that he thought maybe Bruce would enjoy. That did not happen often. “What are you going to get Dick?” He asked idly.

 

“I have a couple pictures of him and Bruce. And of…” Tim flipped through what looked like a textbook. **“** Of him and the Titans. I don’t know what else to give him so I thought I’d just ask Alfred if I could frame them.”

 

Jason hummed his approval and the next half hour found them both going in and out of shops, picking up a few little things for their family. It wasn’t until the crowded nostalgia shop that Jason struck gold.

 

In the back of the shop, past the eclectic collection of Gotham memorabilia and twisted furniture, there was a huge old poster hanging on the wall. The faded colors and thick font proudly declared that Haly’s Circus was in town for one week only. He stared at it for a moment, not believing his find. Tim came up beside him and his eyes widened.

 

“Wow, Jay. Good find. Dick will love it! I wonder if there’s a price…” Tim trailed off and began scour the lower parts of the decades old poster for any kind of tag or sticker depicting a monetary value.

 

“Got you!” A loud booming voice came from behind both of them and the shop owner roughly grabbed Jason by the shoulders. He shook him and let out a pleased holler. “Hah! You’re not getting away this time. And look here, you brought an accomplice with you!” The man leered at Tim, who had backed against the wall, his eyes wide and pleading at Jason for something, anything. An explanation, a way out, protection.

 

Now Jason remembered where he had seen the poster. He had been in this shop before. Before Bruce had adopted him, before he had met Tim. He had stolen odd trinkets from the shop to sell on the street.

 

“Decided to lay low for a few months? Thought I’d forget?” The man shook Jason again, causing his head will whip back and forth. Tim let out a squeak and was about to move forward when-

 

“Is there a problem here?” A firm, authoritative voice took over the shop which had previously seemed to eat up any whisper in the mess of nooks and crannies. “Gentlemen?”

 

An exquisite woman with blonde hair, a winter overcoat, and heeled boots stepped out from behind a large 19th century armoire. She deftly plucked Jason from the man’s hands and set him down next to Tim who grabbed hold of Jason’s hand with both of his own.

 

“Selina Kyle…” Tim murmured under his breath and Jason stood a little straighter. Tim had explained all about Ms. Kyle but Jason hadn’t met her yet.

 

She stepped in front of the boys and crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you know who these children are?”

 

“I know who that brat is.” The man sneered at Jason again.

 

“That _brat_ is Bruce Wayne’s son.” Selina said coolly, ignoring the way Jason immediately stiffened. He hadn’t ever heard it put so… _confidently_. He craned back his head, giving Ms. Kyle a relieved smile. She gave both boys a smirk in return and placed a well-manicured hand on either of their shoulders. “Come on, boys. I’m sure Mr. Pennyworth is looking for you.”

 

“Alfred said we had an hour for ourselves for shopping.” Jason said quietly, not wanting it to seem as though they had given Alfred the slip and taken off. It wasn’t their fault. It was just Jason’s problem.

 

“That doesn’t mean he isn’t looking.” Selina kindly explained from experience. Once they were free of the shops, she took hold of the large bag that Tim was struggling with. She knelt down in front of him and straightened the red scarf around his neck.“And kitten? How is your own kitten?”

 

“James is very well. Thank you, Ms. Kyle.” Tim said shyly, leaning into Jason.

 

“I like the name change.” She nodded approving and spared an upwards glance at the overcast sky. A few flakes flew around them before sticking to the sidewalk.

 

“It was…necessary.” Tim shrugged and Jason nudged him with his shoulder. The movement caught Selina’s eye and she turned her attention to Jason.

 

“And you, handsome?”

 

“Jason! I’m…Jason.” He finished dumbly, realizing that she already knew his name.

 

Selina held out her hand and they shook. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jason. I’m glad you’re taking care of kitten here.” She ignored the slight frown from Tim and steered them into the coffee shop where Alfred was waiting. The boys didn’t bother to ask how she knew the butler’s location. They were just grateful for the warmth from the faster falling snow.

 

Alfred peered over his newspaper as the front door jingled. Noticing their new companion, he set the newspaper on the table. “Causing chaos wherever you go, young masters?”

 

“Unintentional chaos on their part, Mr. Pennyworth. It was just a misunderstanding between a shopkeeper and myself. The boys were defending me.” Selina lied smoothly, giving a slight nod to Alfred who seemed to understand whatever message was being sent.

 

“Well, we couldn’t have a misunderstanding now, could we?”

 

“Of course not.” Selina pushed a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

 

“Thanks, Ms. Kyle.” Jason murmured, head down, very interested in his shopping bags.

 

Tim smiled up at her. “Thank you very much, Ms. Kyle. Are you going to be at Mr. Wayne’s New Year’s Eve ball?”

 

“I’m thinking about it, short stuff. Why, are you going to be saving me a dance?”

 

Tim’s face immediately flushed and he took a half step backwards, right into Jason’s side. Jason’s eyes were wide as he waited for Tim to answer. Selina noticed the change in expression and without missing a beat, continued, “After you dance all night with handsome there, of course. I’ll be waiting.” She didn’t give either boys a chance to respond. Just smiled at Alfred, handed Tim back his bags, winked at Jason, and disappeared through the shop door.

 

\-------------------------------------

It wasn’t until they were back in the manor and alone in the laundry room that Jason asked a question that he had been wanting to ask since he came to the manor. He helped Tim unwind the damp scarf from around his neck and Tim tossed their mittens into the dryer.

 

“Do you care?” He asked bluntly.

 

Tim turned to him, stiff, thin fingers unbuttoning the bulky winter coat. “About what?” He blinked at Jason, wondering about the context of the question.

 

Jason’s eyes turned downcast before he answered, appearing to be examining his own coat’s buttons. “That I used to steal.” His voice was lowered, ashamed.

 

Tim stood up straight and once again, blinked at Jason. “No. Why would it?” He asked, confused.

 

Now it was Jason’s turn to blink at Tim. “Cause I’m a thief.” He said incredulously, thinking it’d finally get through Tim’s head.

 

“You _were_ a thief.” Tim corrected him. He squinted at Jason and continued removing the outer layers of his winter outfit. “You’re not anymore. And when you were, it was because you had to.”

 

“Yea but…”

 

“You never hurt anyone.” Tim said confidently. He knew because Jason had told him and he trusted Jason not to lie to him. “And if you hadn’t been a thief. You never would have saved my life.” He pointed out.

 

“Oh…” Jason hadn’t thought of it like that but it’s clear that was the only way Tim saw it.

 

Considering the subject closed, Tim brought up a new one. “Alfred wants us to help decorate the Christmas tree tomorrow.”

 

“I’ve never done that before.” Jason admitted easily, feeling more relaxed than he had been since the incident in the nostalgia shop.

 

“Me neither.” Tim shrugged. “My parents always brought in those fake plastic ones that were already decorated. I’m sure it’ll be fun.” He said flatly causing Jason to laugh.

“You sound less confident than you did a few minutes ago.”

 

“I’m sure about you. I’m not so sure about Christmas.” Tim admitted with a sheepish smile.

 

“What’s not to be sure about?” A new voice came from the doorway. Both boys turned around and immediately smiled at the sight of their adopted brother.

 

“Dick! You’re here!” Tim said happily, even under the hair ruffle that Dick always went for when he saw him.

 

“Hey, Timmy, Jason. Merry Christmas!”

 

“I haven’t seen you in forever.” Tim scolded him, just short of pouting and wagging his finger. Dick threw his head back and laughed, automatically lifting the mood in the room. Jason couldn’t stop from grinning as Dick mock-argued with them.

 

“I know, it’s my fault.” Dick exaggerated, throwing his hands in the air.. “But I’m here til New Years.”

 

“Really?” Tim and Jason asked at the same time.

 

“Really.” Dick confirmed, ruffling Jason hair, still wet from being out in the snow.

 

Jason shook him off and tilted his head to the side. “More importantly…what’s on your head?”

 

Alfred answered before Dick got a chance to. “That is a reindeer antler hat, young masters. It is his punishment for not coming to visit his little brothers after they were finished with their school semester.”

 

“But he’s right here.” Tim’s nose wrinkled.

 

“And I’ve been charged with getting the decorations out of attic.” Dick added with a smirk, tilting the reindeer hat to the side.

 

“Really?” Jason asked hopefully. Dick had been so busy with all his work that they had rarely seen him over the prior weeks. Alfred also never wanted to go up to the attic but Tim and Jason had wanted to explore that part of the manor since before Thanksgiving.

 

“What are we going to do first?”

 

“We’ll figure it out as we go along, little brother.”

 

Tim wrinkled his nose at that and Jason didn’t bother to hold in his laugh. Tim liked for things to be planned out. It wasn’t that he couldn’t be spontaneous, he just appreciated having a certain grasp on his schedule.

 

The next morning, Jason and Tim woke up to full schedules thumbtacked to their individual doors. Then, after Alfred got a hold of Dick, the schedules were placed on the kitchen tables and the box of thumbtacks was confiscated. The lists, both exact in content, contained Dick’s messy scrawl detailing the week in between Christmas and New Years.

 

Sunday (Today!) - FAMILY TREE DECORATING!

 

Monday - CHRISTMAS!

 

Tuesday- SNOWMEN. A SNOWMEN ARMY

 

Wednesday- ICE SKATING AND MORE SNOWMEN

 

Thursday- OTTERS

 

Friday- MEGA SNOWBALL FIGHT. DIBS ON NOT HAVING BRUCE ON MY TEAM. HE TAKES IT TOO SERIOUSLY.

 

Saturday- BAKING COOKIES AND MAKING HOT CHOCOLATE WITH ALFRED

 

Sunday- SNOWBALL FIGHT REMATCH- EVERYONE VS. BRUCE. DON’T TELL HIM.

 

Monday- NEW YEAR’S EVE! PLAYING HOOKY FROM BRUCIE’S PARTY. ALL BOARD GAMES, ALL NIGHT.

 

GET READY, LITTLE BROTHERS!

 

 

 

 

————————————————————————

 

Tim never imagined that Christmas Eve would be a hectic day in the Wayne household. However, he didn’t account for Dick’s enthusiasm to overcome Alfred’s quiet competence. As a result, Tim found himself laughing and smiling more than he ever remembered during a holiday season. He loved watching Dick and Jason poke fun at one another and was content to sit back and observe but this was his family so they pulled him into everything they did. Tim didn’t need to sit on the sidelines anymore. In fact, he didn’t even want to. And if he did, it was allowed but not encouraged. And he was perfectly pleased with that.

 

“What are these?” Tim asked, struggling to move a collection of tubes off of the top of the box labeled ‘Christmas Tree Lights.’

 

“Ah, yes. Those need to be sent out to a company partnered with Wayne Enterprises.” Alfred hummed and took all the tubes smoothly from Tim, all in one swoop. “They are old maps of Gotham and the surrounding area that Master Bruce brought home one day and never returned to the headquarters.” He explained.

 

“Why does the company need them?” Tim asked curiously, lifting the lid off the Christmas box, pleased at the lack of dust He shouldn’t have been too surprised though, these boxes were taken care of by Alfred.

 

“Because these are land surveys and they are bidding on a property within city limits.”

 

Tim peered at the tubes again, almost accidentally; they had been set beside his box. The name of the company on the mailing address sounded familiar. It took him a few seconds before he realized that it was the same company who wanted to buy the zoo. It had to be a coincidence, he was sure of it. Shaking his head, Tim focused on the matter at hand: getting the Christmas lights on the actual tree.

 

Jason and Tim both hadn’t really known what the Wayne traditions were for Christmas but they were finding their way easier than expected. Alfred just wanted to make sure everything was neat, he didn’t have a specific place for any of the tree ornaments orthe holly that they helped him place around the manor. Dick had a few ornaments from his parents that he put on the tree and Bruce had a few special ones from his parents but other than that, everything was up for grabs.

 

Dick seemed the tiniest bit guilty that neither of them had personal Christmas ornaments from their parents or prior years. Alfred had been the one to surprise them with their own embroidered stockings to hang over the mantle and individual ornaments (a camera for Tim and a crocodile for Jason) to fondly remind them of how they first came to be part of the family.

 

James meowed up at Jason while Tim was being held by Dick to steady him on the ladder. Jason smiled at the cat. He leaned down and allowed James to bunt his hand. “Bet you’re hungry. C’mon.” Jason murmured and headed towards kitchen.

 

“Perfect timing, Master Jason,” Alfred commented as he entered the room, “A package arrived for you just now.”

 

“A package?” Jason froze, his hand outstretched towards the cat food.

 

“Yes. Perhaps a gift you ordered?” Alfred traded him, the bag of cat food for a large tube container.

 

“I didn’t…” It was too late, Alfred had left the room. Jason turned the cumbersome tube over in his hands. It was definitely addressed to him. It was also labeled as “Next day delivery.”

 

He made quick work of opening it, sliding out a rolled poster. Jason gasped as he unrolled a small section and realized it was the Haly’s Circus poster from the nostalgia shop. The one he had wanted to purchase for Dick. A note fell out of the roll and Jason balanced the poster in his hands as he slid it towards him. The neat handwriting read:

 

_‘I’m sure he’ll love it. You have an excellent taste in presents- SK’_

 

Jason quickly folded the note away and into his pocket, glad no one in the family was around to notice the high blush on his cheeks.

 

“Is that really how you put on garland?” Tim asked, head cocked to the side, looking up at the tree. Jason came up beside him and matched his movements. It was definitely lopsided and Tim was looking at the misshapen form as though one of Gotham’s villains was about to jump out of it. He was about to convince Dick to let him on the ladder again when Alfred interrupted, sizing up their combined efforts.

 

“There is no wrong way to decorate a Christmas tree, young masters.” He said firmly.

 

Bruce went into a sudden coughing fit behind him and Alfred gave him a stern look. “Master Bruce, you can either help or go be a giant bat elsewhere. Your choice.”

 

“I’ll help, I’ll help.” Bruce rolled his eyes. “The garland looks lovely, boys.” He told them sincerely. “And Dick, do you want help with the star?”

 

“Nah, I got it.” Dick strained on the top of the ladder as he stretched on his tiptoes to reach the highest part of the tree. Tim nervously clenched his hand around the bottom of Jason’s sweater. Bruce grabbed hold of the ladder, keeping it in place as Dick put the final piece on the very top.

 

For the first time in a long time, Tim idly wished for his camera. Not to capture what was just around him for once, but to capture him with his family.

 

\-------------------------

 

Jason poked his head through Tim’s doorway. “Need help bringing presents downstairs?”

 

“Nope, I got them all.” Tim had all his gifts for the family perfectly balanced in his arms and he slipped around Jason to head downstairs.

 

“What about these?” Jason called and Tim took a few steps back. There were three presents that remained on his bed.

 

“Those can stay there!” Tim said quickly, nearly falling over himself and his cargo in his answer.

 

“Who are they…” Jason trailed off as he realized the answer but Tim still responded anyway.

 

“My parents. They’re…for my parents Just in case. I don’t know. It’s stupid.” Tim shook his head and started moving forward again but Jason grabbed his arm.

 

“No, it’s not.” Jason insisted, taking some of Tim’s burden and nudging him towards the stairs.

 

“It’s not?” Tim asked, looking down at the ground. He followed Jason slowly, down the steps and to the Christmas tree. They were able to hear Alfred arguing lightheartedly with Dick and Bruce in the next room. The warmth from the lit fireplace filled the room and the lights were dimmed to show off the decorated tree and holly bushels around the cozy library.

 

Jason placed the presents in his hands under the tree and then moved to take the rest of Tim’s, trying his best not to peek at the tags. “No. Of course not.” He stood up and took a step back from the tree. “Merry Christmas, Tim.” He said softly.

 

“Merry Christmas, Jason.”

 

\-------------------------

 

“Master Bruce, you have agreed to have these children in your household, as per that agreement, end your patrol and help me with their presents.” Alfred’s word was final and Dick had opted out of patrol on Christmas Eve. Bruce went out more for obligation than anything else. Though, when he got back to the manor, he was rethinking his decision to return.

 

“This is ridiculous, Alfred. At least let me change.”

 

“No, what will be ridiculous is the two young children and one elder who will awake at the crack of dawn.”

 

“You made Tim the oldest in your head, didn't you? I do that too. Do I have to wear this?”

 

“I get very few pleasures in my old age. Consider it a Christmas gift to me.”

 

“Does that mean I can return the Bit of Fry & Laurie DVD box sets?”

 

“No.”

 

Before Bruce could think of a witty retort, they were both distracted by a a noise at the top of the steps. Tim had been about to head down the flight of stairs when he had seen them both and started laughing. He was doubled over and ended up tripping off of the top step and tumbling onto the first landing. Bruce rushed forward but Tim landed directly on his butt and was still laughing as it all happened.

 

“Are you okay?” Bruce asked, concerned but Tim couldn’t stop laughing in order to answer. He just pointed at Bruce.

 

Alfred hadn’t let him change before putting presents under the tree. He was still dressed as Batman but the whole uniform had the added charm of the Santa hat.

 

Bruce let out a loud bark of laughter, realizing how ridiculous that might have looked to Tim. A Santa Claus/Batman hybrid putting Christmas gifts out underneath the tree. It took another moment for Tim to calm down and when it did, he looked up at Bruce and smiled. “Merry Christmas, Bruce.” He leaned over so he could look around Bruce to see Alfred, who had stopped his preparations to watch. “Merry Christmas, Alfred.”

 

“Merry Christmas, Tim. Come on, it’s back to bed for you. I’m sure Dick will be waking you up in an hour or so for presents.” Bruce told him good-naturedly. He lifted Tim off the ground and his youngest went willing, giving him a tight hug as he wrapped his arms around Bruce’s neck.

 

\-------------------------------

CHRISTMAS

\-------------------------------

 

Tim would say that it was the best holiday he had ever experienced but he knew that he didn’t have much to compare it too. Lonely dining rooms with stereotypical long tables, just him and a series of housekeepers. Not much of a Christmas at all.

 

After the presents were open and the family was stuffed full of Alfred’s breakfast, they all piled onto the couch in the study. As Dick stretched out over all of them and was babbling about the brilliance of White Christmas, Tim locked eyes with Jason over Dick’s messy hair and they both smiled at each other. At that moment, Tim decided that one of the best parts about the holiday was that Jason had never had anything like this before either. Now they both had a family and each other.

 

Definitely the best Christmas ever.

 

\-------------------------------

Tuesday

\-------------------------------

 

Dick had always wanted younger brothers. Well, Dick had always wanted any siblings at all to play with when he was growing up. However, he had never anticipated the team-ups that were possible in those scenarios. Which is exactly how he found himself hiding from Tim and Jason on the day after Christmas.

 

The two of them had teamed up against him in the snowball fight. Dick was the Boy Wonder! He was Robin! He could handle two pre-teens! Especially since Jason had taken it upon himself to wrap Tim up in as many scarves and layers as was humanly possible. Tim was a walking fabric lump but at least he was warm and hopefully free from catching another cold.

 

The first sign of trouble was the chaos that ensued when Bruce got directly hit in the face by Alfred of all people! It had left Bruce pouting and Alfred smirking. Two facial expressions Dick had never before associated with his guardians.

 

The second unnerving event was the fort that had seemingly sprung out of the ground. He was pretty sure Bruce was helping Jason and Tim somehow but every time he left the tree to get a closer look, he ended scrambling back up it after being pelted with snowballs. James meowed at him from the very same branch he had situated himself on. “Who let you out, kittycat?”

 

“We’re going to need to increase your training.” Bruce called up to him.

 

“I hate you.” Dick hollered back.

 

“Happy Boxing Day, Dick!” Tim shouted from behind the wall of snow that Jason was repairing.

 

\-------------------------------

Wednesday

\-------------------------------

 

“Where’s Dick?”

 

“Friggin’ acrobat.” Jason grumbled as Dick skated circles around the both of them.

 

In Jason’s opinion, the only good part about ice skating was that he and Tim both sucked at it. Because neither of them had balance and as a result, they held hands the entire time.

 

\-------------------------------

Thursday

\-------------------------------

 

“Do you not want to go see the otters?” Bruce stood, confused, in front of his family and everyone was looking at Tim with the same confounded expression. Except Jason.

 

“No, I do! Just-” Tim stopped himself and let out a frustrated noise.

 

“The zookeeper?” Jason asked and Tim nodded silently. Leave it to Jason to remember a simple exchange between Tim and a stranger.

 

“What about the zookeeper?” Dick looked at both of his brothers but they exchanged an uncertain glance with each other. He rolled his eyes. “Guys, spill.”

 

Tim started the explanation, slowly and carefully. “She wasn’t very nice and I was worried because one of the newer otters looked sick. Or…I don’t know. Something was off.”

 

“Well, all the more reason to check it then. Right, Robin?” Dick nudged Jason, who flushed at the term and Bruce coughed behind them.

 

The exhibit was in a lot better shape than it had been when they had toured it before the holiday. Though, Tim noticed that the one otter he had picked out previously still looked ill. He couldn’t even ask the zoo keeper about it because the newer employee was there. He angled himself away from her as she leaned over the fenced part of the tank to say hi to the otters. She seemed pleasant enough but…Tim didn’t trust her. There was something not right about her. He couldn’t explain it but he could tell by Jason’s body language that he felt the same.

 

Instead of their normal routine of going right up to the exhibit glass to say hi to the otters, Tim and Jason hung back until the keeper went back inside the marine equipment house. Tim was pleased in their synchronization as Jason put his right foot forward towards the glass just as Tim did the same.

 

However, they both stopped immediately in front of the zoo keeper’s bag. She had just left it there, leaning against one of the benches. and when they saw what was inside it, Jason looked at Tim and Tim’s eyes went wide.

 

“Jay. Her badge.”

 

“She works for that company!” Jason hissed. It all made sense to him now. Tim began stalking off towards Bruce but it only took him a few steps to realize that Jason wasn’t behind him.

 

It didn’t take him long to find Jason. He had stomped over to the marine equipment building and was banging on the door.

 

“GET OUT HERE! STOP HURTING THE OTTERS!”

 

“Jason!” Tim exclaimed in shock. The door opened and the very confused zoo keeper came out Just as Jason was about to start confronting her, Bruce swept in and had his arm around Tim and Jason. Tim was smaller and easier to maneuver but Jason began to squirm and attempted to turn around.

 

“Jason, calm down.” Bruce murmured and led the boys away from the confused woman who was nearly positive that her cover had been blown. Which, technically, it had been. Dick lifted the fake company badge that he had planted there earlier in the day and swiftly passed it off to Alfred. Alfred held it in front of Jason and Tim and took it apart easily.

 

“I thought…I thought the company was infiltrating the zoo.” Tim’s face was bright red. “I thought they were making the otters sick with a fake otter so that the zoo would get in trouble and need to shut down.”

 

“Good. Because that’s exactly what they would have been doing. If they existed.” Bruce started.

 

“What?” Jason and Tim exclaimed.

 

Bruce lead them to sit on the benches in front of the otter enclosure tank and pointed to the otter that seemed to swim in spastic circles every few minutes.

 

“So that otter isn’t part of an evil villains plan?” Tim asked and Dick shook his head.

 

“No, no evil otter villains in Gotham. Just a robot otter.” Bruce promised. “And the zoo keeper isn’t an evil villain either.”

 

“Then who is she?” Jason asked and tried again to shrug off Bruce’s hold on his shoulder. A stern look from Alfred put a stop to that immediately.

 

“She’s a hired security guard posing as a zoo keeper. Brucie Wayne is very eccentric and thinks that rival companies are out to steal his new tech. The technology is brand new and needs to be waterproof for what the company needs it for.”

 

“The otter?” Tim asked, pointing to the robotic otter, which was still happily swimming among it’s real counterparts, who didn’t seem to mind the intruder.

 

“Yep. The otter is beta Wayne Tech under our AI program. Or, at least, that’s what the guard was told.”

 

“So the otters are okay?”

 

“The otters are fine.” Bruce said gently, ignoring Dick’s ‘I told you so’ look that was coming in over the heads of the boys. “This was a test…for Robin.” Jason’s blush was immediate and strong. Tim smiled and moved from Bruce’s side to stand on the other, closer to Jason.

 

“How did you do it?” Tim pointed towards the badge that was still in Alfred’s hands. “Those blueprints?”

 

“Fake.” Dick smirked.

 

Jason spoke up, “What about Alfred’s newspaper? In the coffee shop?”

 

“Also fake.”

 

There was a pause as Tim and Jason both digested the information.

 

“What about Dr. Freeze?”

 

“That…was real. I wasn’t lying about the tech being new and innovative. People do want it and Freeze was one of them. We were a day late putting the otter in the water and Freeze didn’t know what he was looking for so his henchman attempted to cause a distraction while he looked for the animal. The next day, Commissioner Gordon even tried to convince me that the zoo wasn’t the best place to test out new tech.”

 

“But of course he didn’t listen.” Dick interjected.

 

“Of course not. Bruce Wayne wouldn’t change his plans just to accommodate villains or Batman or whatever both parties had to do at the Gotham Zoo.” Bruce said airily and waved his hand around. Tim watched in fascination as it always took Bruce no time at all to switch personas.

 

“Well, rightly so, sir,” Alfred said wisely. “That Batman seems to be a menace.”

 

“All this trouble just for a Robin’s test?” Tim asked incredulously.

 

“One of Dick’s training exercises involved a blowing up a yacht. I thought this was rather low key. I went for deduction skills rather than showiness.”

 

“Something we’re all impressed by, I assure you, Master Bruce.” Alfred added dryly.

 

Jason, who had been wanting to butt in during the entire conversation finally burst out with: “But it was Christmas vacation!”

 

“And I thought you needed some homework.”

 

“But I didn’t do anything. Tim was the one who figured it out.”

 

“That’s not true. When we started this, you were just distracted by Tim being sick. Even then, you saw that Tim noticed something was wrong. You’re a very observant young man, Jason. You both had a hand in this. And who’s saying that this wasn’t a test for the both of you?”

 

The boys froze at that.

 

“But I’m-“ Tim was going to say ‘pocket-sized’ because it was better than ‘small’ and he liked when Jason described him like that.“Only ten.” He decided on lamely.

 

“Yes but you’ll get older eventually and if you’d like, we can help train you just like Jason.”

 

Tim looked unsure and Bruce waved away any concerns.

 

“There’s no right or wrong answer, Tim. Jason doesn’t even know if he wants to do it. I’m just happy to teach you boys how to protect yourselves. If there is anything more that you want to do, just remember that it’s open to you.”

 

“Bruce?”

 

“Yes, Tim?”

 

“Can we keep the robot otter?”

 

\-------------------------------

\-------------------------------

\-------------------------------

Epilogue

\-------------------------------

\-------------------------------

\-------------------------------

 

It was New Year’s Eve and Tim and Jason both were dressed in uncomfortable tuxes. Tim really thought he would have been done with this when parent’s left but Bruce insisted they should at least come down and say hello to Miss Kyle. They couldn’t begrudge him that. After all, Tim knew Jason had to go and thank her for Dick’s Christmas present.

 

The ball itself had been catered but Alfred baked all the desserts. Before going down himself, Dick had showed the boys his trick to lining his suit jacket pockets with napkins so they could sneak as many sweets as they wanted without Alfred getting suspicious when he took the suits to the cleaners.

 

“Boys? Jason! Tim! I see you hiding up there on the landing. We have a bit of an…incident.” Bruce chose his words carefully so not to worry them.

 

They made their way downstairs, exchanging nervous glances and pushed through where a crowd of people were gathered in front of a table that was off to the side, close to the balcony. Miss Kyle, Bruce, and Alfred were standing in front of the table.

 

“Looks like spring is going to come early this year.” Miss Kyle grinned at them and lifted the linen table cloth up off the floor so they could peer underneath of it. Jason and Tim knelt down and saw that under the table, resting on piles of extra table cloths, was James and another cat that had just given birth. The small litter of only three was quietly sleeping against their mother and all the kittens looked like James.

 

James meowed at the intrusion and Miss Kyle rolled her eyes. “Don’t give me your sass.”

 

Tim looked at Bruce excitedly and widened in his eyes in a plea. “Please, Bruce!”

 

“Three children, one robotic otter, and five cats?” Bruce asked. “That seems like an awful lot.” Tim’s face fell and Jason was still entranced by the sight of kittens not five feet away from him.

 

“It’s the full house I always wanted, sir.” Alfred assured him. “We’re all up to the challenge.” Tim perked up immediately and Jason, realizing what had been said, let out a whoop of joy.

 

It was going to be the best year ever.


	4. Spring Charm

Jason had been doing really well.

 

Really well.

 

_Honest._

 

It really wasn’t his fault that he was in the principal’s office.

 

It’s not as though he wanted to be there. If Jason could have been anywhere else in the world at that moment, he would have chosen the nurse’s office, only one floor up. After all, that’s where Tim was while Jason slouched in his chair.

 

Tim was probably sitting on the stiff bed, handkerchief still pushed against his bleeding nose, just waiting for Bruce and Jason.

 

Because, of course, Bruce was in the principal’s office with Jason.

 

Tim wouldn’t be on that nurse’s bed if it wasn’t for Jason. If Jason hadn’t been going over that previous weekend’s awful patrol in his head instead of his homework, then he wouldn’t have lost sleep and he wouldn’t have been making up that sleep in math class and missed the beginning of lunch and he would have been there when Tim was cornered by bullies by the cafeteria stairs.

 

Now Bruce was sitting next to him in the principal’s office as they both were reprimanded about the importance of sleep for growing children. Bruce looked confused enough to stay quiet through the lecture. He was probably wondering why Jason was so tired if they hadn’t even patrolled the previous night. Jason could almost see the questions forming above Bruce’s head in comical thought bubbles.

 

As though Jason’s day could have gotten any worse.

 

In retrospect, that thought was what jinxed the rest of the day and the patrol that night.

 

————

 

Jason lifted himself onto the stiff nurse’s bed next to Tim and nudged his side so he could look at his nose. It didn’t look broken but the dried blood covering it really wasn’t helping Jason’s queasiness over the whole situation. The situation that he had caused because he wasn’t good enough.

 

“I’m really glad it’s spring break now.” Tim murmured and leaned against Jason. Bruce shook his head at the both of them. It didn’t seem to be an _I’m disappointed in you_ head shake but rather a _What am I going to do with the both of you?_ expression.

 

“The principal assured me that these students would be taken care of.” Bruce deadpanned, eyes flicking to where the nurse was distracted by paperwork.

 

Tim laugh so hard at the comment that he snorted and his nose started bleeding again. It only made him laugh more but it made Jason even more nauseous. He pressed his body closer to Tim and took the offered handkerchief from Bruce.

 

The initials _B.W._ stared at Jason and he had flashbacks of their first meeting in the alleyway. Tim’s bloody nose and Jason next to him.

 

It was the same bullies that day who had beaten up Tim, Jason just knew it. Nearly nine months after he came to live at Wayne Manor and Tim was still getting hurt. Jason’s arrival hadn’t changed anything.

 

He was a terrible Robin and he was even a worst friend to Tim.

 

\-------------------

 

“We don’t have to go on patrol tonight, if you don’t want to.” Bruce told him gently.

 

“I caught up on all my sleep in math class.” Jason forced a smirk on his face and attached his cape.

 

“Jason…”

 

He took a deep breath and bounced on his heels, molding his face into an excited expression. “I’m serious! It’s Friday! Patrol time!”

 

He ignored Tim, who was eyeing Jason suspiciously. But because he wasn’t looking at him, Jason missed the moment where Bruce caught Tim’s expression and just sighed.

 

“Fine, but only for an hour or so. Shortened patrol tonight.” Bruce told him gruffly.

 

Jason’s heart sank the slightest bit. It wasn’t another failure but it was awfully close.

 

\-------------------

 

Logically, Jason knew that it wasn’t the longest night because Tim had told him that it was in the summer.

 

But it certainly felt like the longest night for Jason. One hour had turned into five which turned into Jason making more mistakes in his exhausted state. He had gotten sucker-punched in the stomach twice and Bruce had to swing by and grab him. In the confusion, Jason mistook Bruce for a criminal and fought against the fireman’s carry for a full minute. On the ride home, he barely registered Bruce’s mutterings as he dozed off in the Batmobile.

 

\-------------------

 

He took off his uniform in silence, biting his lip and trying not to trip over his own feet. With his luck that day, Jason really should have expected that he was going to trip over one of the cats instead. He glared at James’ offspring but ultimately ended up just gently pushing the young cat aside with his foot.

 

“Thanks a lot, brat.” He muttered as the cat just meowed at him and scampered through the open door and into Jason’s room.

 

“That’s not nice.” Tim’s sleepy voice came from the middle of Jason’s bed.

 

Jason froze and before he could stop himself, let out an audible sigh. “Shouldn't you be in bed?"

 

He could barely make out Tim through the darkness but he knew him well enough to know that he had frozen. “I am in bed." Tim told him quietly.

 

"Your own bed." Jason said, more harshly than he had anticipated.

 

"Do you want me to leave?"

 

Jason was mentally cursing himself as he answered. He could never tell Tim no. He was pretty sure it was going to backfire against him one day. “…fine. You can stay." They shared a room more often than not but Jason didn’t want anything to do with anyone at that moment.

 

Tim relaxed but only a little bit. He did pull back the covers for Jason though. “How did it go?"

 

"How do you think?" Jason snapped and frowned at Tim. He wasn’t sure what was worse, the fact that Tim probably had watched the awful patrol on the Batcave monitors but still asked how it went anyways or the possibility that Tim hadn’t watched their patrol at all tonight, that he had found something better to do with his time than watch over Jason like he did every weekend.

 

"You don't have to do this you know."

 

"Do what?"

 

“Be Robin.”

 

It was Jason’s turn to freeze. He could feel that Tim was inches away from him but it felt like miles away.

 

Tim didn’t think that he should be Robin.

 

_Tim didn’t think that Jason should be Robin._

 

“I mean, it’s just that- you’re tired a lot.” Tim stammered and all Jason began to hear was static to the tune that Tim didn’t think he should be Robin. “And you fell asleep in class and being Robin is a lot of work and so is going to school. You’ve only just turned thirteen and Bruce only wants what’s best for you but he isn’t the greatest parent sometimes and I don’t want you to get hurt-“

 

“No, you’re right.” Jason cut him off and rolled over so his back was to Tim. His fists were clenched and he curled up on his side, trying to even out his breathing, willing himself not to cry.

 

Tim was legally required to be in Wayne manor. Jason was still some kid that Bruce had picked up off of the street and adopted for no reason other than to keep Tim company. That wasn’t Tim’s fault. It was just Jason’s fault that he couldn’t even pay attention to Tim and to school. Patrol was just an extra-curricular activity. One that Jason would have been kicked out of if the instructor was anyone other than his guardian. Dick had done it, why couldn’t Jason?

 

Be Robin, go to school, and protect Tim.

 

Those were Jason Todd’s three simple objectives.

 

His three, failed objectives.

 

Jason decided that he would wait until Tim’s martial arts class the following afternoon to leave.

 

It only took him two steps outside of the manor to regret what he was doing. Even that didn’t stop him.

 

He had only been to Dick’s apartment in New York twice since his adoptive brother had started living up there with Roy and the Titans. He almost got sick on the bus ride. He wanted his phone to buzz, with Tim asking where he was, even though he knew that Tim was going to be in class until late afternoon. Jason wouldn’t have put it past Tim to have a feeling that something was wrong though.

 

That was Tim. He could be so intuitive about some things in his life and then wouldn’t be able to not correct the head bully’s grammar, leading to a fight in the school yard.

 

A redhead opened the door to Dick’s apartment and did a double-take. “Jay?”

 

“Roy.” Jason said, tight and tense.

 

Roy stepped aside so Jason could step in and called over his shoulder: “Dick, you’ve got a visitor.”

 

It was somewhat comforting that Dick walked in from the other room and immediately went into panic mode. “Jay? What’s happening, little brother. Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

 

“Let the kid breathe, babe.” Roy said quietly, drawing Dick back from the entranceway. Jason’s eyes were darting around wildly and he looked like a caged animal.

 

Dick ignored Roy and wrapped an arm around Jason’s shoulder, steering him into their messy living room, onto the old, thrift store couch that Alfred would never approve of. Jason loved it. It was comfortable, his older brother next to him in an apartment that smelled lived in. He took a deep breath, leaned into Dick’s shoulder and started to cry.

 

Snatches of words came out with the sobs and Dick looked up worriedly at Roy who nodded, and then left the room to make a phonecall.

 

“I’m-I’m never going to be good enough to be Robin. I couldn’t even stop them from hurting Tim. I suck at Robin and I suck at everything else. I don’t deserve it- any of it.”

 

“Hey, hey now, don’t talk about my brother, Jason, that way.” Dick murmured lightly. “Stop who from hurting Tim?” Dick asked gently, rubbing Jason’s shoulder.

 

“The bullies at school. A couple of asshole eighth graders. I fucked up patrol by myself and I fucked up everything else by myself. It’s all my fault. Even Tim thinks that I shouldn’t be Robin.”

 

“Robin should never have to do anything alone. It’s a partnership. That’s the whole point. Even when I’m out on my own, I always have someone in my ear. More often than not, Roy comes out with me.” Dick smiled at his partner, who had re-entered the room. "You know what? You don't have to be Robin. It was just an idea.” Dick knelt down in front of Jason and pushed their foreheads together. “Little brother, you staying with Bruce doesn’t hinge on whether or not you take up his insane vendetta.”

 

Jason inhaled and looked up at Dick. “That’s not- it isn’t-“

 

“Yeah, yeah, it is. But that’s okay. Communication isn’t too clear over at Wayne Manor. You liked helping Tim so Bruce and I thought that maybe you’d like being Robin but it was never a requirement.”

 

“But I can’t do it. I failed. I-“ Jason hiccuped and Dick took over, sitting back down next to him on the couch.

 

“Jason, kid. You didn’t fail at anything, I promise you. None of this is on you. You’ve only just turned thirteen and I don’t think we’ve done enough to convince you that the world isn’t on your shoulders. It’s on your school for tolerating bullies and it’s on Bruce for not knowing when to say no. You should be able to talk to him about anything. He’s your guardian now. That means he should do the guarding.”

 

“But-“

 

“There’s no buts, Jay. He’s supposed to be your own personal Batman, regardless of whether or not you’re Robin.” Dick ran his fingers over Jason’s hair a few times in a soothing gesture.

 

“I think I would have wanted to. Before.” Jason told him, honest and dejected. “Be Robin, I mean. I would have wanted to. But there’s Tim and-“

 

“He gets pretty upset when people around him get hurt.”

 

“But he’s the one getting hurt! First I thought that if I could help you and Bruce, it’d be better, you know? If there were three of us, less injuries. I thought that’s what Bruce wanted, what Tim wanted. But then I fucked up and-”

 

“You didn’t fuck up, Jason. You aren’t Tim’s bodyguard, you’re his best friend. He loves you more than anything. He just wants you happy, and safe.”

 

“What? No, he loves you and Bruce, he does.” Jason insisted. When he had first come to live at the manor, Jason thought that Tim loved them too much. It was too much for vigilantes who had originally suspected him of spying on them.

 

“Sure, he might love us but you’re his first real everything. You saved him. You save him every day that you’re with him. He was so lonely, Jason. You brought him back to us. You made us a family.” Dick told him quietly, a smile on his face.

 

“I didn’t do anything.” Jason insisted, tears filling his eyes.

 

“You did _everything_ , Jason. And now it’s our turn to do the same for you. I think that’s what Tim was trying to tell you, he just didn’t know how to say it.” Dick sighed. “You never got a chance to be a kid, Jason. You’re allowed to do that. If you still want to think about Robin, we can keep up your training without the patrol. Figure out yourself first, then, in a few years, if you still want, you can figure out Robin. Maybe Tim will even want to help.”

 

Jason saw images flash through his head, he and Tim teaming up as Robins.

 

“Tim will need to gain about a million pounds of muscle before that happens but you never know.” Dick joked, pleased when he got a half-formed laugh out of his little brother.

 

“Does Tim want to do that?” Jason asked.

 

Dick shrugged. “I don’t know what Tim wants. I don’t think Tim knows what Tim wants right now. He’s got time. You both do. The family business isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay.”

 

Jason exhaled and felt his body seep tension. He let his head fall onto Dick’s shoulder and just basked in the comfort of his older brother stroking his hair.

 

“Now tell me the truth, little brother, does Tim know why you’re here?” Dick asked seriously.

 

“…”

 

Dick tried again. “Jason. Does anyone even know that you’re here?”

 

“Um…” Jason looked up at Dick but was relieved to see that he only looked amused, rather than mad.

 

"Little brother, you can't run away from Tim." Dick shook his head fondly. “And you certainly can’t run away from Alfred. Not only should you not do it but it’s also not possible.”

 

"I didn't run away from Tim.” Jason mumbled indignantly.

 

"You guys didn't have any spring break plans for tonight?”

 

"Not...officially."

 

"Sure. Sure. I’m just saying that Tim is probably going to be ecstatic that you won’t be beaten up anymore but he’s also going to be the tiniest bit worried. I mean, who else in Tim's life has left for a few days only to never come back."

 

Jason's face paled. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

 

"Language."

 

"Shit, Dick. What am I going to do?"

 

“It’s okay. Honestly, Jay. As long as Tim knows you’re safe, he’ll be ecstatic. You're going to call him, apologize, and invite him here for a brother bonding week.” Jason wrinkled his nose, as he always did, at the thought of Tim being his brother. “Then, you’re going to apologize to him again. But first, I’m going to talk to Alfred. Though, knowing him, he’s already activated your tracker.”

 

Jason glared at his left shoe. He had forgotten about the tracker.

 

“Thanks, Dick. For everything.” Jason threw his arms around Dick’s neck, knocking him over on the couch.

 

“Any time, little brother. You can call me, day or night, I hope you know that.”

 

Jason nodded. He had known that, in theory. But now he knew it for sure.

 

“Come on, I was supposed to go to the grocery store this morning. We’ll get you some junk food and maybe Alfred won’t know.”

 

“Um…” Jason rolled his eyes at the thought that Alfred wasn’t omniscient.

 

Dick just grinned at him and pulled him into the kitchen to make a list. “It’s worth a shot.”

 

\-------------------

 

When they got back from the store, nearly an hour later, there were muffled voices in the living room. Jason felt himself tensing up but Dick’s calming hand on his shoulder eased his muscles the slightest bit.

 

Dick peered around the corner and smiled. “Roy? You’ve been hiding my little brother from me?”

 

Jason’s heart skipped a beat. _Tim. Tim was here._

 

It had only been a few hours since Jason had slipped out of a bed that had still smelled like Tim but it felt like it had been days.

 

Sure enough, Tim was sitting on the couch with Roy, their knees together, surrounded by different kinds of arrows. Tim tilted the arrow in his hand towards Dick and Jason, in a shy wave.

 

“He only just got here. He was helping me with the fletching on my arrows. We were taking guesses on how long it’d take you to stop flirting with the neighbor before carrying in the groceries.”

 

Dick blushed brilliantly and went over to kiss Roy on the cheek.

 

“Why are you here?” Jason asked quietly, setting down his groceries on the coffee table and hovering near the couch. Tim’s bruises didn’t look any better.

 

Tim looked down at the arrow. “I…was worried. Why are you here?”

 

“I came to train with Dick for the day.” Jason muttered, fighting the urge to look over at Tim again. He didn’t want to see the hurt look on his face. He hated that he was the cause of it.

 

All he wanted was for people not to be mean to Tim but now Jason was the one making Tim’s face look like that.

 

“Without telling me? Or Alfred? Or Bruce?” Tim’s expression was open with hurt.

 

At Bruce’s name, Jason flinched and Tim leaned back in surprise. “Jay?”

 

Roy sighed and set down his arrows, taking care to take the one out from where it was tightly clenched in Tim’s nervous fist. He strode out of the room, interlacing his fingers with Dick’s as he passed him and pulling his boyfriend out of the room with him.

 

“I don’t want to be Robin.” Jason said quickly and then watched Tim for a reaction. But he only looked puzzled.

 

“Okay…” Tim looked confused. “You don’t…have to be Robin. We…we had this conversation already? I tried to tell you-”

 

“I didn’t believe you.” Jason blurted out.

 

Tim froze. “Oh.”

 

“I don’t- it’s not that-argh. _Tim_.” Jason pleaded. “I trust you. I do. I thought you meant that I was being awful at Robin and didn’t deserve it and-”

 

“Jason!” Tim looked absolutely horrified at how his words had gotten twisted around in Jason’s mind. Jason laughed out loud with relief and caught Tim in a huge hug.

 

Even muffled into Jason’s shoulder, Tim didn’t stop talking and reassuring Jason about what he had actually meant by the night before but Jason didn’t care. He knew that Tim and Dick wanted what was best for him and that he was safe with them, in his new life.

 

“I’m sorry.” Jason mumbled into Tim’s shoulder. “I’m sorry about the bullies. I should have been there.

 

“I don’t need you to protect me.” Tim told him, quiet and serious.

 

“Okay.” Jason agreed. He would save that argument for another day. Sure he didn’t _need_ to protect Tim but if he didn’t, who else would? He didn’t mind at all, so long as Tim was there with him, whole and healthy.

 

\-------------------

 

Twenty minutes later, Dick stuck his head through the open doorway. “We’re headed back to Gotham a little earlier than planned. But I might be able to convince Bruce to let you guys stay for spring break after the fact. And once you, you know, pack clothes and things.”

 

“What’s wrong?” Jason asked, not moving from where his fingers were intertwined with Tim’s. They’re still on Dick’s couch, watching something stupid on the television but really just watching each other. Tim’s head is in Jason’s lap and he’s been trying his best not to doze off.

 

“B needs some help. Minor stuff.” He amended, seeing the twin worried expressions on his brothers’ faces. “But Alfred thought it’d be better to get you back now anyway.” Dick’s lips moved into an exaggerated pout. “He also says that he knows about the junk food.”

 

“Of course he does.” Jason muttered with no real malice, just enjoying the feeling of Tim near him.

 

He could handle this.

 

He can handle anything.

 


End file.
